The port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is an important port for the import of biomass into Europe. Wood pellets, the most important biomass product group, are primarily used in the European heating and energy market.
 
Excellent connections for the supply, throughput and handling of biomass in the port, existing cargo flows and specialized transshipment and storage facilities make Rotterdam an attractive hub for biomass distribution.
 
ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE SUPPLY OF BIOMASS
The port of Rotterdam’s central location in Europe makes Rotterdam exceptionally attractive as a biomass port. The port’s maximum draught is 23 metres and it is without any obstacles such as locks or bridges, which means that it can accommodate also the largest ships 24/7. Via the excellent intermodal connections, the wood pellets can be transported to their final destination, such as key markets in Germany, Italy, Belgium, Austria and the United Kingdom.
 
POWER PLANTS AND THE BIOMASS INDUSTRY
The Maasvlakte in Rotterdam has two coal power plants capable of co-firing wood chips and other biomass. These power plants and the plants in the Rotterdam region, Belgium and the United Kingdom provide for a constant supply of biomass to Northwest Europe. The knowledge, experience and the required facilities for this are already available in Rotterdam. Over the long term, wood chips will increasingly serve as a raw material for the bio-based industry in the port of Rotterdam.
 
DISTRIBUTION HUB OF WOOD PELLETS IN EUROPE
The storage capacity in the port of Rotterdam area makes it possible to use Rotterdam as the distribution or storage location for the Northwest European market. Energy companies, pellet suppliers and traders in biomass will find all the necessary facilities here and furthermore benefit from attractive economies of scale and optimal cost efficiency. By clustering the supply of biomass into larger ships (for example, Panamax) and subsequently transporting it in smaller volumes to its final destination, transportation costs are reduced.
 
BIOMASS TRANSSHIPMENT AND STORAGE FACILITIES
The generous supply of expert service providers and modern storage and transshipment facilities make Rotterdam attractive as a biomass import and transhipment port. The following companies are in Rotterdam with the storage and handling of biomass:
  • EMO
  • BSR Van Uden Stevedoring
  • EBS (European Bulk Services)
  • Marcor Stevedoring
  • ZHD (Zeehavenbedrijf Dordrecht)
BULK THROUGHPUT FALLS AT THE PORT OF ROTTERDAM, WHILE CONTAINER CARGOES INCREASE
Total throughput at the port of Rotterdam fell by 1.4% in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same period last year. In the first three months of this year, throughput was 110.1mt (million tonnes) compared to 111.7mt in the first quarter of 2023. The decline is mainly due to less throughput of coal, crude oil and oil products. Throughput of iron ore & scrap and LNG increased. Container throughput was also on the rise, with a 3.3% uptick.
 
In the first quarter of 2024, container throughput for by 3.3, despite the situation in the Red Sea, which has resulted in significantly fewer ships (–24.5%) and less volume from Asia (–13.7%) in January and February due to delays and missed sailings. Fitting in the changed sailing schedules initially led to the necessary adjustments in the logistics chain.
 
Dry bulk throughput declined by 4.5% compared to the first three months of 2023. The main reason for the decline is the sharp contraction in coal throughput. Two million tonnes less coal was handled than last year due to lower demand for thermal coal for power generation in coal-fired power plants. As German steel production picked up, iron ore imports also increased.
 
The strong 93.7% increase in the other dry bulk segment is distorted by the fact that there was a correction in throughput in the first quarter of 2023.
 
 
 
The same goes for the 23.9% decline in the agribulk segment. Without the correction, throughput in the agribulk segment shows a decline of 10.9%. Other dry bulk shows a decline of 16.8%. The other dry bulk segment includes raw materials used in energy-intensive sectors. Production in these sectors is still low, as energy costs account for a large part of production costs.
 
Total throughput of the breakbulk market segment (Roll-on/Roll-off and other breakbulk) decreased by 1.9% to 7.8mt. RoRo throughput fell by 3.8% to 6.3mt compared to the first quarter last year, as volumes to the UK still show no recovery. Other breakbulk rose 7.4% to 1.5mt.
 
Boudewijn Siemons, CEO & Interim COO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority: “The throughput figures show limited imports of raw materials and exports of finished products. This tells us that European industrial production is still suffering from high energy prices and low demand from the biggest declining sectors such as construction and the processing and automotive industries. From the growth in container throughput, we see the first signs that world trade is picking up. However, these tentative signs remain highly uncertain due to rising global tensions.”