The Port of Rotterdam handled 103.0 million tonnes in the first quarter of 2026, a marginal decline of 0.7% compared with 103.7 million tonnes in the same period of 2025.
The slight contraction was driven by reductions in agribulk, coal, other liquid bulk and breakbulk, while iron ore and scrap metal, other dry bulk, crude oil, mineral oil products, LNG and container volumes in TEU all recorded increases.
Container throughput grew 0.3% in TEU terms compared with the first quarter of 2025, though volumes fell short of expectations following a Terminal Operating System update at one of the major container terminals.
Tonnage declined 3.2%, partly reflecting a sharp 14 percent rise in empty container exports, particularly to Asia.
Inland container volumes rose strongly by 11%, driven by larger call sizes and an expanded service range on Asia and North America routes.
Transhipment volumes remained under pressure, declining 26%, with a recovery anticipated only after planned container terminal expansions are completed.
Breakbulk fell 1.5% amid continued weakness in automotive, construction and machinery markets, while RoRo volumes edged up 1.6% supported by a modest economic recovery in the United Kingdom.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz emerged as the dominant external risk factor shaping the port’s near-term outlook.
Rotterdam draws 10% of its crude oil throughput and 14% of its oil product throughput from Persian Gulf countries, with a total of 19 million tonnes or 4.4% of annual throughput linked to the region.
Key commodities include crude oil from Iraq and Saudi Arabia, kerosene from Kuwait, fuel oil from Saudi Arabia and gas oil and diesel from Qatar. The impact of the closure was only marginally visible in first-quarter figures but is expected to become more pronounced in the second quarter.
A notable consequence of the closure has been the diversion of tanker traffic toward Asia, where oil product prices rose more sharply than in Europe due to greater regional dependence on Middle Eastern supply.
At least five tankers originally en route to Rotterdam have redirected to Asian markets, a development expected to contribute to lower inflows in the coming quarter.
For the container sector, the direct impact of the Hormuz closure is limited, with direct container traffic to and from the Middle East accounting for 1.2% of total volume, though indirect effects through economic slowdown and reduced purchasing power could prove more significant.
Port CEO Boudewijn Siemons described Rotterdam as demonstrating resilience as a European energy and logistics hub, while acknowledging the vulnerability of global energy flows exposed by the Hormuz closure and cautioning that its effects may intensify through the remainder of the year.
