Last year, maritime shipping bunkered significantly less fuel in Rotterdam; 9.9 million tonnes in 2023 compared to 10.6 million tonnes in 2022.
As explained, with that, the demand for fuel oil, marine gas oil and other fuels was 6.7 percent lower than in 2022. Only bunkering of LNG (liquefied natural gas) rose significantly, from 406,599 m3 to 619,243 m3.
This had everything to do with developments in the price of LNG. The demand for bunkers mixed with biofuels dropped, from 790,851 tonnes to 751,638 tonnes in 2023. Biomethanol was bunkered for the first time, and that was on the Laura Maersk.
The decline is mainly caused by fewer sea-going vessels arriving in Rotterdam and because the price of bunker oil was temporarily more favourable in Singapore.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority and the Port of Antwerpen-Brugge Authority announced that by early 2026 all bunker vessels have to work with officially accepted bunker measurement systems. With this measure, the port authorities aim to make the ARA bunker market more transparent, efficient and reliable.
