Rotterdam Sets Port Tariffs for Next Three Years

The Port of Rotterdam says its port tariffs will rise in the coming three years at half the rate of the inflation percentage, by a maximum of 1% per year.

For 2015 this means specifically that the tariffs paid by seagoing ships calling at the port of Rotterdam will be subject to 1% indexation.

The Port Authority will also take measures aimed at reinforcing the hub function and stimulating sustainable hinterland transport.

It is the first time that the port tariffs will be set for a period of more than one year so that companies know what to expect in the coming years. This is what the Port of Rotterdam Authority decided following consultation and the consent of the port business sector.

Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said: ”We fix the tariffs for three years and remain structurally below inflation. That is a clear sign to the market. Shipping companies know what they can expect in the port of Rotterdam. Furthermore, we respond specifically to current developments, especially in the container market and the refining sector.”

This port tariffs consultation includes inflation, market conditions and economic development among other things. The tariffs apply for the sea ports of Rotterdam, Schiedam, Vlaardingen, Maassluis, Dordrecht and Moerdijk.

Port tariffs are just one of the Port Authority’s sources of income and they are charged to the shipping companies that use Rotterdam. In 2013, the Port Authority received EUR 288 million (USD 359.1m) in sea port tariffs and EUR 14 million (USD 17.4m) in inland port tariffs.