Total throughput at the Port of Rotterdam fell 2.6 per cent in the first nine months of 2025, reaching 320.2 million tonnes compared with 328.9 million tonnes in the same period of 2024.
The decline was driven primarily by lower iron ore and mineral oil volumes, while agribulk, crude oil, LNG, and container throughput increased.
Dry bulk volumes fell 5.6 per cent, reflecting reduced iron ore and scrap shipments amid lower German steel production and ongoing economic uncertainty.
Coal throughput decreased 5.3 per cent, offset by higher energy coal usage in response to rising energy demand.
Agribulk imports rose 16.8 per cent, supported by a new dry bulk terminal, while other dry bulk segments declined 7.2 per cent due to weak industrial demand.
Liquid bulk throughput dropped 3.4 per cent to 146.4 million tonnes. Mineral oil volumes fell 17.2 per cent as backwardation made storage unprofitable, and other liquid bulk shipments declined due to continued weakness in Europe’s chemical sector.
Renewable fuels, including ethanol and SAF, along with crude oil and LNG, recorded growth, with LNG throughput up 14.9 per cent as Europe replenished gas stocks.
Container throughput rose 3.0 per cent to 10.7 million TEU, though tonnage decreased 0.6 per cent because of an import-export imbalance and higher transshipment of empty containers.
The Asia–Europe route grew 8.8 per cent, and transatlantic volumes increased 14.6 per cent.
Breakbulk throughput edged up 0.2 per cent to 24.0 million tonnes, driven by offshore wind foundations, steel pipes for the Porthos project, and steel plates for offshore projects, while RoRo volumes fell slightly as UK trade continued a gradual recovery.
These nine-month figures align with the H1 2025 trends, which showed throughput declining 4.1 per cent to 211 million tonnes. The sharpest drops were in dry bulk (-8.9 per cent) and liquid bulk (-5.3 per cent), while container volumes grew in TEU but fell slightly in tonnage due to fewer full exports and more empty containers.
Breakbulk and RoRo throughput also showed modest growth, highlighting how operational and market pressures shaped volumes during the first half of the year.