The Rise of LNG and Biofuels in the Port of Rotterdam

The demand for liquefied natural gas (LNG) as bunker fuel in the Port of Rotterdam surged by 52 percent to 0.94 million cubic meters in 2024 from 0.62 million cbm bunkered in 2023.

After a period of inflated gas prices, the demand for LNG rebounded in 2024, reaching previous levels, as reported by the port authority.

Last year, maritime shipping bunkered 9.8 million tonnes of fuel in Rotterdam, slightly lower than the 9.9 million tonnes in 2023. In 2024, the demand for fuel oil, marine gas oil, and other fuels saw a 0.9 percent decrease compared to 2023.

Notably, the introduction of bio-methanol bunkering in the Port of Rotterdam in 2023 led to a significant increase in demand in 2024, with nearly 4,000 tonnes bunkered, up from 750 tonnes in the previous year.

The port authority highlighted a fluctuation in the demand for bio-blended fuels in 2024, with a slight growth in the first half of the year followed by a sharp decline in the second half. This trend was particularly evident in the demand for bio-blended very large sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO).

One of the primary reasons for this shift was the increased availability of bio-blended fuels in Asia, following the imposition of anti-dumping duties on Chinese biofuels by the European Union. Despite this, the overall demand for bio-blends remained unchanged from 2023 at 750,000 tonnes.

Earlier this year, the EU imposed anti-dumping tariffs to restrict imports of questionable used cooking oil (UCO) biofuels. The influx of UCO imports from China had caused a significant drop in market prices, impacting the European biofuels market.