by Lloyd's List

24 April 2025 (Lloyd's List) -ANTWERP-Bruges handled more teu than its main rival Rotterdam in the first quarter of 2025.

Rotterdam moved 3.3m teu in the first quarter, a 2.2% increase on the corresponding period last year. But this was 100,000 teu down on the 3.4m teu its main rival, Antwerp-Bruges, handled in the same period.

In terms of tonnage, Rotterdam’s throughput was down 1.1%, driven by a decrease in export containers, which the port said were usually heavier.

Bad weather early in January and a two-day walkout by stevedores at the HDP2 terminal (which caused operations to slow in the weeks that followed) meant fewer ship visits in the first quarter and lower productivity.

Transatlantic throughput fell by 23.1% in the first quarter compared with last year, because two services were moved to other ports thanks to limited capacity. Throughput from Asia increased 8.4%.

March proved a better month in terms of container handling for Rotterdam, surpassing volumes in January and February.

But it was not enough to stay ahead of Antwerp-Bruges, which has continued to increase its market share in the Hamburg-Le Havre range, hitting 30.4% at the end of 2024.

Much like its Belgian rival, liquid and dry bulk throughput at Rotterdam fell sharply in the first quarter of 2025, with both declining by more than 8.5%.

Crude oil throughput fell by 1.1m tonnes in the first quarter, driven by lower refining margins in northwest Europe, while higher margins of diesel and kerosene in Asia made it a more attractive market for mineral oils than Europe.

But the sharpest declines were reserved for iron ore and coal, which fell by 28.1% and 17.3% respectively.

This, of course, is a familiar story. Iron ore demand from the steel industry continues to fall due to lower production, while coal-fired power plants hold an ever-decreasing share in European power-generation.

Agribulk increased 22.7% in that same period, following the commissioning of a new dry bulk terminal at the port.