Port of Rotterdam Authority publishes climate transition plan

The Port of Rotterdam Authority has published a new climate transition plan outlining an integrated strategy to reduce GHG emissions across the port area.

The plan covers not only the authority’s own emissions, including those from its vessels, purchased energy and employee travel, but also emissions generated by companies operating in the port and by shipping within the Harbour Master’s management area. This latter category represents a substantial share of total emissions. Although these emissions are not directly under its control, the Port of Rotterdam Authority states that it is committed to reducing them in line with Dutch climate targets. The plan sets out how it intends to do so.

This first version of the climate transition plan sets targets and actions based on existing policy through to 2030, with a longer-term perspective to 2050. It consolidates the authority’s initiatives aimed at cutting GHG emissions and clarifies the extent of its control and influence over emissions within the port area.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is targeting climate neutrality across the port area by 2050. It said it “is achieving this by investing in energy infrastructure, entering into global partnerships, actively welcoming sustainable companies, and helping to make companies and the logistics sector more sustainable.”

“The speed of the energy and resource transition in the Port of Rotterdam depends on various factors and stakeholders. The cooperation of the companies based in the port, the energy suppliers and the various authorities is crucial in this regard,” the port authority said.

Plan details

Under the plan, the authority is targeting a 55% reduction in emissions from companies in the port area by 2030 compared with 1990 levels. Emissions from shipping within the nautical control area are targeted to fall by 20% compared with 2019.

For container traffic, decarbonisation efforts are linked to the roll-out of shore power at major terminals. The stated objective is that by 2030, at least 90% of offshore vessels, ferries, cruise ships, Ro-Ro vessels and container ships calling at Rotterdam will use shore power while alongside. This is expected to deliver an annual reduction of around 200,000 tonnes of CO₂.

In parallel, the port is promoting port call optimisation and Just-in-Time sailing to reduce waiting times and fuel consumption. The target is to realise 20% of the identified improvement potential within two years through enhanced nautical planning. In inland container shipping, the authority highlights its involvement in Nextlogic, an integrated planning platform intended to improve the efficiency of barge operations.

On the industrial side, the plan sets a target that by 2030, at least 6.3m tonnes of fuels produced in the port will be from renewable sources, equivalent to replacing at least 20% of the 2019 fossil fuel production baseline.

In its annual report, due to be published in March 2026, the Port of Rotterdam Authority will disclose CO₂ emissions from its own activities, from shipping, and from the port and industrial complex (PIC) for 2025. Each April, the authority also publishes the latest emissions data for companies in the port, based on figures released by the Dutch Emissions Authority (NEA).