Throughput in the Port of Rotterdam fell by 2.6 per cent in the third quarter of 2025, mainly due to lower volumes of iron ore and mineral oil products. Total throughput reached 320.2 million tonnes in the first nine months, down from 328.9 million tonnes last year. Agribulk, crude oil, LNG and container volumes grew.
Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of Port of Rotterdam Authority: ‘Although total throughput volumes showed a slight decline in the first nine months of this year, developments in areas such as container throughput and the throughput of renewable fuels confirm the resilience and strategic value of the Port of Rotterdam. At the same time, European industry is still under enormous pressure, which underscores the need to continue investing jointly in innovation, sustainability, and logistical efficiency.’
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Dry bulk
The throughput of dry bulk decreased by 5.6 per cent compared to the same period last year. The main reason for the decline is the sharp drop in the throughput of iron ore and scrap by 12.7 per cent and 2.9 million tonnes. The decline in German steel production continued in the third quarter, under pressure from ongoing economic uncertainty and trade barriers. Electrical steel production also declined, albeit to a lesser extent, resulting in slightly higher scrap exports.
Coal throughput fell by 5.3 per cent compared to 2024, mainly due to reduced demand for coking coal in the steel industry. In contrast, the use of energy coal in the Netherlands and Germany increased due to higher energy demand that could not be fully met by additional solar and wind energy, particularly in the first quarter of 2025.
The growth in imports of agribulk goods continued in the third quarter. As a result, throughput in this segment increased by 16.8 per cent compared to last year. This increase is mainly due to the commissioning of a new dry bulk terminal in Rotterdam. Due to lagging industrial production in Germany, demand for raw materials is limited. The throughput of other dry bulk therefore shows a decline of 7.2 per cent in the first nine months of 2025.
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Liquid bulk
The throughput of liquid bulk declined by 3.4 per cent to 146.4 million tonnes in the third quarter. This decrease of 5 million tonnes was mainly caused by a 7.3 million ton (-17.2 per cent) reduction in the throughput of mineral oil products. The lower throughput of mineral oil products is a consequence of backwardation in the market, which makes storage unprofitable.
As the chemical industry in Europe is not yet showing signs of recovery, the “other liquid bulk” segment declined by 1.1 million tonnes (-4.1 per cent). However, within this segment, the throughput of renewable fuels did increase, due to higher throughput of ethanol and SAF.
The throughput of crude oil and LNG increased. Refining margins improved in the third quarter, partly due to attacks on Russian refineries. This reduces the supply of diesel for the global market. Combined with low diesel stock levels in Northwest Europe, this leads to higher margins. LNG throughput increased by 14.9 per cent as gas stocks in Europe continued to be replenished.
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Containers
Throughput in the container segment increased by 3.0 per cent to 10.7 million TEU in the first nine months. In terms of tonnage, throughput shows a decrease of 0.6 per cent compared to the same period last year. The slight decrease in tonnage is due to the imbalance between imports and exports, resulting in more empty containers being transhipped.
Exports from Europe are still suffering from the pressure on European competitiveness. This is particularly noticeable in the automotive industry and the chemical sector. Due to strong import demand, particularly from Asia, the last three months of 2025 show an increase in container throughput in TEUs of 3.8 per cent compared to 3.0 per cent for the year to date.
Total throughput in the Asia–Europe shipping region increased by 8.8 per cent in the last nine months. Throughput on the transatlantic route increased by 14.6 per cent in the first nine months compared to last year. The new sailing schedules introduced at the beginning of this year include more services from Rotterdam to this shipping region.
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Breakbulk
Total breakbulk throughput (Roll-on/Roll-off and other breakbulk) increased by 0.2 per cent to 24.0 million tonnes. RoRo throughput decreased by 0.1 per cent. Volumes to and from the United Kingdom have not yet recovered. The last six months have shown cautious signs of recovery.
Other breakbulk rose 1.1 per cent to 4.6 million tonnes. This increase was partly due to the delivery of monopiles (offshore wind foundations), steel pipes for the Porthos project, and an increase in the throughput of steel plates for the offshore industry.
Picture: Maasvlakte Rotterdam (photo by Martens Multimedia).
