The Port of Rotterdam retained its position as Europe’s largest port in Q1 2025, although the combined ports of Antwerp-Bruges handled more containers.

A statement released by the Port of Rotterdam said the port’s total volumes dropped by 5.8% to 103.7 million tons. The drop was due to reduced activity in tank and dry bulk. Container throughput rose 2.2% year-over-year, but overall container tonnage declined by -1.1%, largely due to an -8% drop in full container exports. 

As ShippingWatch reported, Antwerp-Bruges which is traditionally Europe’s second busiest port, increased its market share in the Hamburg-Le Havre range to 30.5% and climbed one position to 14th in the global ranking of largest ports. Antwerp-Bruges managed 3.4 million containers surpassing Rotterdam’s 3.3 million containers. However, its total container volume only reached 38.4 million tons, significantly lower than Rotterdam’s 103.7 million tons.

Executives from both Rotterdam and Antwerp-Bruges are anticipating a challenging period ahead, citing ongoing global container market disruptions due to recent trade policy developments.

Source: ShippingWatch, Port of Rotterdam