BRUSSELS, (Pakistan Point News - 05th Dec, 2025) In 2024, the EU sea ports handled around 3.4 billion tonnes of freight (total gross weight). While this freight volume was the same as in 2023, it remained lower than the highest value recorded in the decade 2014-2024 (3.6 billion tonnes in 2019).
Figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, showed that Rotterdam in the Netherlands maintained its position as the top maritime freight transport port in the EU, handling 397 million tonnes of freight in 2024. Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium followed with 244 million tonnes, ahead of Hamburg in Germany with 97 million tonnes.
Among the top 10 EU ports, 4 reported an increase in tonnes of freight handled in 2024 compared with the previous year. Valencia (+3.6%) and Algeciras (+2.6%) in Spain had the biggest increases. At the other end, Constanţa in Romania (-14.3%) and Gdańsk in Poland (-11.0%) reported the biggest declines.
The largest share of goods handled by main EU ports in 2024 was coal and lignite, crude petroleum and natural gas with 19.0%. This was followed by coke and petroleum products, which accounted for 16.5% of the total volume. Metal ores and other mining and quarrying products made up 7.4%; chemicals, rubber, plastics and nuclear fuel collectively accounted for 7.2%; and products of agriculture, hunting, forestry and fisheries added up to 6.3%. food products, beverages, and tobacco represented 4.9% of the total goods handled by EU ports.
