Largest maritime ports in the European Union - statistics & facts

Historically, ports in Europe played an essential role in the continent's economic development, serving as tools for maritime trade and colonial expansion. Since the 15th century, naval ports on the coast of Europe have been growing both in prominence and size, handling an increasing volume of seaborne cargo. Between the adoption of shipping containers in the mid-20th century and the end of the century, ports in Europe - and later in the European Union (EU) - were among the leading ports in terms of container throughput worldwide. With the advent of the Asian economies, especially the Chinese economy in the early 21st century, European ports lost their global prominence.

In 2020, nearly 700,000 ships passed through EU ports, transporting a total of 3.3 billion metric tons of seaborne cargo. In the same year, some 94.3 million TEUs of containers were processed in EU ports, a decrease of over two percent compared with 2019. The Port of Rotterdam was the largest port in the EU in terms of seaborne cargo handled in 2020, followed by the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Hamburg.

Ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp

The Netherlands and Belgium have a long tradition of seafaring dating back to the 15th century. This heritage enabled them to develop their ports into some of the largest ports on the continent. In 2020, the Port of Rotterdam handled about 409 million metric tons of seaborne cargo, nearly double the cargo the Port of Antwerp processed that year. The difference between the ports is not as dramatic in terms of containers processed. While the Port of Rotterdam processed around 15.3 million TEUs of containers in 2021, the Port of Antwerp handled about 12 million TEUs. That year, the Port of Rotterdam generated revenue of roughly 730 million euros.

Port of Hamburg’s soaring revenue

Dubbed as Germany's "Gateway to the World," the Port of Hamburg is the busiest port in the country. The port was the third-largest in Europe in terms of total seaborne cargo throughput and the volume of containers handled in 2021. In that year, the Port of Hamburg processed nearly 129 million metric tons of cargo and over 6.9 million TEUs of containers. In 2021, the port recorded its highest revenue in the past seven years, amounting to almost 1.5 billion euros.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Oct 27, 2023

Key insights

Volume of seaborne cargo handled in the EU
3.5bn mt
Volume of containers handled in the EU
98m TEU
Busiest cargo port in the EU
Port of Rotterdam
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Total number of containers processed by the Port of Rotterdam (Netherlands) from 2013 to 2022

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Number of containers processed by port of Rotterdam (Netherlands) 2013-2022

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Number of port arrivals worldwide by country 2021

Largest container ports in the European Union (EU) in 2022, based on throughput (in million TEUs)

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Largest container ports in the EU based on throughput 2022

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