The Port of Rotterdam moved 212 million tons during the first half of 2026, 0.4% more than in the same period of the previous year. The data, released this Thursday by the Port Authority, keeps Europe’s largest port close to the figures of 2025, with disparate behaviors among the main cargo families and with container traffic practically stable in TEUs but decreasing in tonnage.
Container movement closed the semester with 7,021,000 TEUs, 0.1% below the first half of 2025. Measured in tons, the decline is more pronounced, reaching 2.6% down to 64.8 million. The Port Authority linked this divergence to the behavior of deepsea traffic, which grew by 5.2% in TEUs due to an 8% increase in imports from Asia, while exports of full containers fell by 1%. The imbalance explains why the drop in tonnage is greater than the drop in units.
Container traffic with North America grew by 13% in the semester, an increase that the Port Authority attributed to the rise in the number of operational services on the transatlantic route. Conversely, transshipment volumes fell by 20% in the semester due to a lack of capacity at the port itself. The Port Authority hopes that the introduction of new capacity at several container terminals starting at the end of 2026 will allow the segment to grow again.
Direct container traffic with countries in the Persian Gulf accounts for 1% of the port's total container volume. After the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, the Port Authority noted that new routes were relatively quickly established through ports outside the Gulf, resulting in a limited impact on Rotterdam.
Liquid bulk, the main category of the port, reached 98.5 million tons in the semester, 2.4% more than in 2025. Crude movement increased by 1.6% to 50.9 million tons. Petroleum products increased by 11.5% to 25 million tons, with a 36% increase in exports against a 9% drop in imports. The Port Authority linked the growth in exports to the rise in shipments of fuel oil to Singapore and diesel to Gibraltar and Spain, the latter connected to the implementation last year of the Emission Control Area (ECA) in the Mediterranean. Within an ECA, vessels must use bunkering fuel with a maximum sulfur content of 0.1%, which has increased the demand for marine diesel.
LNG movement recorded 6.4 million tons, 1.7% less than in the previous semester, with a drop in imports partially offset by the growth in exports linked to the increasing use of liquefied natural gas as marine fuel. Other liquid bulk decreased by 5.9% to 16.1 million tons.
Solid bulk closed the semester with 32.8 million tons moved, 1.7% above 2025. Within this category, coal recorded the sharpest increase, with 17.8% to 9.3 million tons, while other dry bulk increased by 18.5% to 6.6 million tons. Conversely, iron ore and scrap fell by 8.3% to 12.1 million tons and agribulk lost 14.2% in the semester, down to 4.9 million.
Ro-ro traffic reached 13 million tons, 1% more than a year earlier. The Port Authority linked the growth to the increase in demand for cargo in the UK. Other general cargo suffered a 9.5% decline to 2.9 million tons due to stagnation in the European manufacturing industry, particularly in the machinery and automotive sectors, with aluminum movement below normal levels. The tightening of sanctions on Russian traffic has also affected this segment. The sum of both categories, grouped as total breakbulk, fell by 1.1% to 15.9 million tons.
In economic terms, the Port Authority of Rotterdam recorded revenues of 477 million euros between January and June, 3.2% more than in the same period of the previous year. Operating expenses grew by 10.9 million to 178.2 million. EBITDA increased by 1.3% to 298.8 million euros, and net profit reached 144.8 million, 0.9% more than in 2025. The investment made during the first half was 126 million euros, 7% lower than that of the equivalent semester of the previous year.