Rotterdam's Fossil Fuel Dilemma: Can Europe's Biggest Port Go Green?

 

Standing on a grassy verge in the Hook of Holland, you can see the scale of the problem. The Port of Rotterdam stretches across the horizon, a maze of cranes, bulk carriers, and container stacks. It is the largest freight port in Europe, handling almost as much cargo as all UK ports combined.

But size comes with a cost. The five refineries and cluster of chemical plants make this a hub for fossil fuels. According to research by CE Delft, the emissions linked to the port's activities total around 600 megatonnes of CO2 a year. That is many times more than the output of Schiphol, the Netherlands' biggest airport.

Pressure is now building on the port to change. A lawsuit from environmental group Advocates for the Future argues the Port Authority is not doing enough to phase out fossil-based energy. They want a concrete plan to wind down the coal, oil and gas flows that dwarf the emissions of most countries.

The Port Authority admits the scale of the challenge. Mark van Dijk, head of external relations, says the port's own industrial cluster emits about 29 million tonnes of CO2 a year, roughly half of the Netherlands' domestic emissions. "It's not good," he says.

The Authority has a plan. It aims to cut its own direct and purchased energy emissions by 90% between 2019 and 2030. It is developing a hydrogen hub, investing in onshore power for ships, and supporting alternatives like biofuels and methanol. There is also a carbon capture and storage project called Porthos, which will pipe CO2 into depleted gas fields.

But critics say this is not enough. Maikel van Wissen, director of Advocates for the Future, argues that a state-owned enterprise of this scale should use its clout to speed up the transition. "We are asking in the lawsuit to phase out that dependency, to create alternatives," he says. "If you don't have a plan, you always choose cheap short-term solutions."

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The port says it is trying to work with polluters to phase them out. Oscar van Veen, director of innovation, says they are moving "as fast as possible." But he faces limits. Many of the biggest emitters are owned by foreign companies. If rules in Rotterdam become too tight, they can simply move elsewhere. Shell already moved its headquarters to the UK, and Unilever left Rotterdam altogether.

Bettina Kampman from CE Delft says the Port of Rotterdam is a key player, but its influence is limited. Even transitioning to lower emissions requires physical space and power cables, both of which are in short supply.

Emeritus professor Harry Geerlings of Erasmus University Rotterdam has studied sustainable ports for decades. He doubts any single port authority can drive a full transition alone. He points to the EU Emissions Trading System and past rules on sulphur as examples of what works. When Europe set limits on sulphur in marine fuels, ships changed their behaviour. China initially resisted, he says, but when its ships could no longer enter US and European ports without complying, it followed suit. "If you have the right incentives, you change the behaviour of these companies."

But regional rules have limits. Many ships now use cleaner fuel in European waters, then switch back to cheaper, dirtier fuel once they are on the high seas.

Geerlings believes Rotterdam's port authority genuinely wants to change. "But their biggest income is still tied to fossil fuel industries," he notes. "It's not simply a switch you turn on or off. A port needs activity as a logistics node. Otherwise it's no longer a port. It's a real dilemma."

The geopolitics add pressure. Across the Atlantic, President Trump has cast doubt on climate policy and offered incentives that favour fossil fuels. That sharpens Rotterdam's concern about losing energy-intensive industry to regions with looser rules and cheaper power.

Advocates for the Future wants a detailed phase-out plan, not just a promise of climate neutrality by 2050. "We are not asking for anything extraordinary," says Maikel van Wissen. "We're asking for a plan that really contributes to a sustainable future."

The Port Authority insists they want the same thing. Mark van Dijk says both sides are heading for the same destination: net zero around mid century. The disagreement is over how fast, and how radically, to change.