Rotterdam's latest figures show a regional shift in container flows, with transshipment down 20 percent in the first nine months of 2026 while inland traffic grew.[1][5] El Estrecho Digital reported the figures on 16 October, following the port authority's release that day.[1][5] Total container throughput reached 10.751 million TEU, up just 0.1 percent from the same period last year.[5]
Container traffic linked to the European hinterland rose 7.2 percent, led by an 8.9 percent increase in full import containers.[1][5] Full export containers increased by only 1 percent after an earlier contraction.[1][5] The imbalance between imports and exports increased the number of empty containers transported.[1][5]
The port authority attributes the decline in transshipment to persistent capacity limits at its container terminals.[1][5] More cargo is passing through other ports, leaving additional room in Rotterdam for traffic serving inland destinations.[1][5] Container tonnage fell 2.2 percent even as TEU edged higher, so the two measures tell different stories about cargo activity.[1][5]
Port authority chief executive Boudewijn Siemons called for continued investment in road, rail and waterway connections to the European hinterland.[1][5] He linked those connections to security of supply and competitiveness, as the port adapts to changing trade flows.[1][5]
Sources: [1] https://www.portofrotterdam.com/en/news-and-press-releases/throughput-port-rotterdam-rose-09-first-nine-months-year [5] https://www.elestrechodigital.com/en/2026/10/16/the-port-of-rotterdam-loses-20-of-its-transshipment-traffic-while-keeping-container-volumes-stable Cover: Representative photograph of the Port of Rotterdam, via El Estrecho Digital.