Total throughput in the port of Rotterdam fell by 5.8% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year.
In the first three months of this year, total throughput in Rotterdam was 103.7 million tons, compared to 110.1 million tons in the first quarter of 2024. The decline is mainly due to lower throughput of iron ore, coal, crude oil and petroleum products.
The throughput of agribulk, other solid bulk goods and containers recorded an increase. The US import duties on export goods from Europe did not yet have an impact on throughput in the first quarter.
Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority: “The first three months of this year were characterized by high volatility in global trade – caused by the threat of US import tariffs and the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. This volatility has caused uncertainty among companies with regard to trade and investment. This is reflected in handling volumes and willingness to invest. In times of global uncertainty, it is crucial for the port of Rotterdam to continue working with national and European governments to promote a strong and competitive investment climate in Europe.”
Slump in iron ore and scrap
The throughput of solid bulk cargo fell by 8.6% compared to the first quarter of 2024. The main reason for this decline is the significant slump in the handling of iron ore and scrap, which fell by 28.1%. Two million tons less iron ore were handled in the first three months, as demand for iron ore for steel production fell due to lower production in the steel industry. As in the previous quarters, coal handling fell by 17.3% to 4.5 million tons due to the continuous decline in the share of coal in electricity generation. The handling of agribulk rose by 22.7% and that of other dry bulk by as much as 44.1%. This increase is primarily due to the commissioning of a new bulk goods terminal.
Demand for crude oil declines
Throughput of liquid bulk fell by 8.8% to 48.0 million tons. This decline of 4.6 million tons is due to the fall in the handling of crude oil, petroleum products and other liquid bulk. Due to the lower refinery margins in north-western Europe, demand for crude oil from refineries fell. For this reason, the volume of crude oil decreased by 1.1 million tons to 24.7 million tons. Demand for petroleum products also fell by 20.1% or 2.9 million tons in the first quarter of this year. As the margins for diesel and kerosene were higher in Asia, exports from the Middle East and India increasingly went to Asia, at the expense of exports to Europe.
Low container throughput in Rotterdam
Throughput in the container segment rose by 2.2% to 3.3 million TEU in the first quarter. In terms of tons, throughput fell by 1.1% compared to the same period of the previous year. This difference is due to a downward trend in full container exports (-8.1%). Export containers are generally heavier, which means that the average weight per container is lower.
The decline in the number of export containers is a consequence of the weak competitive position of the European industry and lower container throughput in Rotterdam. Bad weather in January and work interruptions at the HPD2 terminal led to fewer ship visits, delays and lower productivity in the first quarter. The situation improved in the first quarter – in March, productivity was higher than in January and February.
Throughput on the transatlantic route fell by 23.1% year-on-year in the first quarter, as two services were shifted to other ports due to the limited capacity of the Rotterdam terminals. Throughput from Asia increased by 8.4% in the first quarter. This was due to a higher import volume of consumer goods.
Total throughput in the general cargo market segment (roll-on/roll-off and other general cargo) fell by 0.6% to 7.8 million tons. Roll-on/roll-off handling fell by 1.8% to 6.2 million tons. RoRo freight transport is suffering from intense competition with road freight transport, which is attributable to low transport tariffs and low economic growth in the UK. The other general cargo segment increased by 11.2% to 1.6 million tons. The increase is partly due to the handling of pipe piles for the Porthos project.
