Port of Rotterdam container throughput: full imports up 8.9%, transhipment down 20%

SUNDAY, 18 OCTOBER 2026

In the first nine months of 2026 the Dutch port stood still in TEU, but cargo bound for the European hinterland rose 7.2% and transhipment slumped because terminals are short of space.

Port of Rotterdam container throughput shows full containers arriving up 8.9% in the first nine months of 2026, while full containers leaving rose by only 1%. That is the picture in the figures published on 16 October by the port authority: container volumes in TEU stood still, but cargo bound for the European hinterland increased and transhipment to other ports fell sharply.

Port of Rotterdam container throughput in nine months

Overall, the Dutch port handled 323.2 million tonnes of cargo between January and September, 0.9% more than in the same period of 2025, when it reached 320.2 million. The growth, however, comes from bulk cargo, led by coal and oil. Containers, measured in tonnes, are down, and the aggregate figure hides two opposite movements: more cargo entering Europe through Rotterdam, and less cargo passing through only to be reloaded onto another ship.

• Total throughput: 323.2 million tonnes in the first nine months of 2026, +0.9% on the same period of 2025.
• Containers in TEU: +0.1% over nine months; in tonnes: -2.2%.
• Container volumes bound for the hinterland: +7.2% over nine months.
• Full containers imported: +8.9%; full containers exported: +1%.
• Transhipment (containers reloaded onto other ships): -20% over nine months.

More imports than exports: empty container traffic grows

The port authority explains that the growth in hinterland volumes is mainly due to the rise in full containers arriving. Exports of full containers grew again, by 1%, after a period of contraction, but far less than imports. The result is an imbalance: since more full containers come in than go out, the number of empty containers to be repositioned grows, which the port reports as continuing to rise.

The 2.2% fall in tonnes against stable TEU fits this picture: an empty container counts as one TEU but weighs little. The release does not break the figure down by origin, so it does not say how much of the increase in imports comes from China or Asia.

Why transhipment fell by 20%

Transhipment is the part of the traffic that never touches the European market: containers unloaded from a mother vessel and reloaded onto smaller ships bound for other ports. In Rotterdam it fell by 20%. The port authority's explanation is capacity: the terminals for large deep-sea vessels have long had space constraints, so part of the cargo is handled by other ports, which frees up room for hinterland flows.

Two factors weigh on the rest of the traffic, and the authority names them explicitly. Non-containerised general cargo fell by 10.2% because of the prolonged stagnation of European manufacturing, especially machine building and automotive. And low water levels on European rivers disrupted supply chains, with higher transport costs for raw materials bound for steelworks. On the energy side, after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz European refineries imported more crude: crude oil +2.1%, oil products +11.1%.

What it means for importers

The figure concerns a Northern European port and does not measure Italian imports: companies buying in Asia for the Italian market mostly use Italian ports. It does, however, point to a few things that matter to anyone organising shipments.

The first concerns those who already land cargo in Rotterdam or other Northern European ports, to serve customers in Germany, the Benelux or Northern Italy by rail and truck. A terminal short of space that has given priority to hinterland flows suggests checking with the forwarder the actual dwell and pick-up times, and storage costs beyond the free time, before confirming the route.

The second concerns low water levels. Barge transport on the Rhine is one of the main routes from Rotterdam inland; when the water drops, barges sail with less cargo and carriers apply surcharges. For those receiving goods in Germany or Switzerland, it is worth asking whether the quote includes a low-water surcharge and at what river level it applies.

The third is the imbalance between full containers arriving and leaving. More empties to reposition is a cost for carriers, and over time it may show up in rates. It is neither an automatic nor an immediate effect, but it is worth bearing in mind when comparing quotes for the first quarter of 2027.

With La Merce, a shipment from China for customers in Northern Europe is assessed by comparing a landing in Rotterdam, where transhipment fell by 20% and full imports rose by 8.9%, with a landing in an Italian port, with the times and surcharges of both routes written into the quote.

Let's talk about your productprojectconceptgoalbrandproductprojectconceptgoalbrandproductprojectconceptgoalbrandproduct