Brussels: In 2024, the EU sea ports managed a substantial 3.4 billion tonnes of freight, maintaining the volume seen in 2023 but still falling short of the 2019 peak of 3.6 billion tonnes recorded over the decade from 2014 to 2024.
According to Emirates News Agency, Eurostat reports highlighted Rotterdam in the Netherlands as the leading EU port, handling 397 million tonnes of freight. Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium followed with 244 million tonnes, while Hamburg in Germany managed 97 million tonnes.
Of the top 10 EU ports, four experienced an increase in freight handled in 2024 compared to the previous year, with Valencia and Algeciras in Spain seeing the largest rises at 3.6% and 2.6%, respectively. Conversely, Constanta in Romania and Gdansk in Poland saw significant declines, with drops of 14.3% and 11.0%.
In terms of the type of goods handled, coal and lignite, crude petroleum, and natural gas topped the list at 19.0% in 2024. Coke and petroleum products accounted for 16.5%, followed by metal ores and other mining and quarrying products at 7.4%. Chemicals, rubber, plastics, and nuclear fuel collectively represented 7.2%, while products related to agriculture, hunting, forestry, and fisheries comprised 6.3%. Lastly, food products, beverages, and tobacco made up 4.9% of the total goods handled by EU ports.