Posted on June 25, 2025
The Port of Rotterdam is Europe’s premier gateway and in terms of the region’s economic health, as President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen said “If the Port of Rotterdam is doing well, Europe’s economy is doing well.”
The Port of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, is Europe’s leading port for container traffic. In 2024, throughput totaled 13.8 million TEUs, an increase of 2.8% on the previous year, just ahead of its neighbor Antwerp-Bruges, in Belgium, which recorded 13.5 million TEUs (+8.1%).
On a daily basis the Port of Rotterdam, handles 75 vessels of all types, including box ships. Rotterdam’s pivotal role in European commerce as Europe’s premier maritime gateway for trade was underlined by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen: “If the Port of Rotterdam is doing well, Europe’s economy is doing well.”
In an interview with AJOT, the port’s Director of Containers, Hanna Stelzel, discussed the ship congestion which has affected European ports for a good part of this year and the outlook for Rotterdam’s box traffic.
She also commented to the port’s initiatives with regard to digitalization, de-carbonization, automation and multi-modality, while highlighting Rotterdam’s position as a key gateway for the global fresh produce trade.
AJOT: How is Rotterdam coping with the ship congestion?
HS: We’ve faced several challenges this year, including the transition to new sailing schedules, high call sizes, the introduction of new alliances, work stoppages and difficult weather conditions.
The port’s Maasvlakte ‘cluster’ of container terminals are currently (11 June) busy, but the situation is under control. The number of large container vessels waiting to enter the port is very limited. We are seeing an improvement in the reliability of sailing schedules and the time-at-berth (of vessels) has decreased significantly since the beginning of the year.
AJOT: What impact has this congestion had on Rotterdam’s container traffic?
HS: So far, these challenging circumstances have had no real impact on our container traffic. We’re not expecting any major change in the volume throughput of containers in Q2 compared to Q1 which is due to geopolitical tensions and regional conflicts continuing to weigh on economic activity, resulting in market uncertainty.
AJOT: What are the port’s development plans for container traffic in the coming years and what targets have been set for TEU growth?
HS: With the ongoing expansion of the current terminals on Maasvlakte 2 (operated by APM Terminals and Rotterdam World Gateway), the planned re-development of Delta North (Omega), the future development of the Euromax option and further optimization for efficiency and economies of scale, including deepening of the quays, no additional sites are needed on the Maasvlakte for container transhipment.
Looking ahead, ports in the Northern Europe range, stretching from Hamburg, in Germany to Le Havre, in France, are expected to require an additional 16 million TEU of capacity by 2035.
In contrast to other ports, which have limited expansion opportunities, Rotterdam is well-positioned to provide about half of this amount (8 million TEUs) and play a crucial role in preventing future trade bottlenecks and ensuring a smooth and sustainable flow of trade to its hinterland and beyond.
AJOT: A word on Rotterdam’s Container Exchange Route (CER) – a 17-kilometre closed road network?
HS: The CER is the largest, most advanced container exchange system of its kind and connects the deep-sea container terminals on the Maasvlakte.
It comprises dedicated infrastructure for ‘smart’ container handling. On the CER track autonomous vehicles transport the containers to their destination, fast and efficiently, undisturbed by other traffic, resulting in better connectivity, shorter port call turnaround times, more flexibility and lower exchange costs. Construction is underway to link the CER to other terminals which will be completed in the near future.
AJOT: What steps is Rotterdam taking to digitize its container traffic activity?
HS: Via our Port Community System, companies benefit from ‘intelligent’ services for efficient and simple information exchange, both among themselves and with the operating authority. It allows users to improve their logistics processes and also strengthens the competitive position of the port.
In collaboration with specialist providers, we have also developed digital solutions tailored to specific modes of transport: Rail Connected for rail freight transport, Nextlogic, a planning tool for inland shipping and PortAlert, for optimizing terminal visits by truck – each contributing to efficient handling at the port.
AJOT: What specific initiatives has the port engaged to de-carbonize its container traffic and promote sustainability?
HS: The port of Rotterdam is in the middle of a transition towards climate-neutrality with the aim of becoming the most efficient and sustainable port in the world by 2050. Dozens of sustainability projects are being worked on throughout the logistics chain, such as the development of shore-based power for container terminals, the use of alternative fuels, electrification of inland shipping and road transport and the optimization of transport routes.
Also, the way seaport and inland port dues are calculated has changed with a new method giving a prominent place to sustainability and efficient loading, in line with our ambitions. If a sea-going vessel scores high on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI), an international measure of its ‘sustainability’, this may result in lower total seaport dues, in a similar way to a vessel that has a so-called ‘Green Award’ certificate.
In addition, the load factor will also start to count, with seaport dues per transhipped ton of cargo lower when a ship’s capacity is used as efficiently as possible.
AJOT: What percentage of Rotterdam’s container traffic is currently transported to and from the port by road, river, rail and what initiatives are you taking to encourage modal shift?
HS: Road accounts for 58%, inland shipping 34% and rail 8%.
To continue transporting containers efficiently and smoothly to and from the hinterland, the existing infrastructure must be used optimally and offer seamless connections to inland terminals using road, river and rail transport modes. For us, a multimodal approach is definitely the way forward.
In cooperation with chain parties, we are looking at solutions that can relieve the road network and stimulate rail and barge transport. These include night-time driving, truck platooning and the bundling and exchange of containers on so-called inland shipping corridors. At end of June this year, the operating authority will launch a ‘Multimodal Council’, which will look at possible options to make the handling of containers to and from the hinterland as efficient as possible.
As the capacity of container terminals APMT and RWG is being substantially expanded, we need to prepare for further volume growth in rail freight. To this end, we are currently developing a dedicated railway yard, with the first phase scheduled for delivery in 2027.
AJOT: What has been Rotterdam’s approach to introducing automation on the quaysides?
HS: We have included people from the start. Automation has never been a goal in itself, but a way to work more efficiently and safely. It has never been about replacing people. We believe human expertise will always be needed. The trick is: keep communicating, keep people involved.
AJOT: How important is the global fresh produce trade to Rotterdam’s container business?
HS: Refrigerated (reefer) containers accounted for 14% of our total box throughput in 2024, the equivalent of approximately 1.9 million TEUs. Rotterdam’s container terminals are equipped with a total of 18,500 reefer plugs- more than anywhere else in the world. These connections ensure that temperature-controlled and frozen cargo can be handled sustainably, quickly and reliably on the quayside before heading for state-of -the-art cold storage facilities at our rapidly-expanding ‘Rotterdam Food Hub’.
The port prides itself on its swift and reliable handling of reefer containers, enabling fresh products to reach the supermarket or the consumer’s plate as quickly as possible. Rotterdam is strategically-placed as the first port of call in Europe for many inter-continental liner services. All global players in the segment, including Lineage, Americold and Nichirei, have locations at the port and where Maersk has just opened its own cold store.
While Rotterdam offers high-quality river and rail connections to its hinterland for container traffic in general, injecting reefers into our intermodal systems remains a challenge, but we are confident that our collaborative work with market players will lead to solutions being found.
