Port Of Rotterdam Introduces Sustainable Tariff Structure

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The Port of Rotterdam Authority has announced changes to its port tariffs, which will take effect from January 1, 2025. These changes, made in consultation with industry stakeholders, aim to promote sustainability and efficiency within the port. The new tariff structure will be based on a different calculation method for seaport and inland port dues, reports Port Of Rotterdam.

Port tariff indexation 

The general indexation of the current seaport and inland port tariffs amounts to 6 percent for 2025. For the two subsequent years, these amount to 3.5 percent in 2026 and 2.5 percent in 2027. As of 2025, several existing discounts on seaport dues are being abolished. This is to simplify the overall calculation of seaport dues. The abolition of the discounts will be compensated in the basic tariffs. Three discounts, aimed at sustainability and efficiency, are being increased.

From 1 January 2025, if a sea-going vessel has a high score on the Environmental Ship Index (ESI), an international standard for the sustainability of sea-going vessels, the total seaport dues could be lower for a shipping company, also when a vessel has a so-called Green Award certificate. 

Future Proof Shipping 

Kees Groeneveld, chair of VRC: ‘Shipping companies are currently making large and risky investments associated with energy efficiency and sustainable vessels. They sail on methanol as fuel, among others. It is good that these shipping companies are being rewarded for their efforts. We have made good agreements with each other. The Port of Rotterdam Authority needs to continue investing in a safe port with an excellent physical and digital infrastructure and good connections.’

Inducing Transparency

There is additional attention to sustainability in how the inland port dues are calculated. From 2025, a sustainability contribution of 5 per cent is being added. That means the inland port dues for motorised vessels are being increased by 5 per cent. The revenues from this increase will be reserved and used to contribute to sustainability initiatives in the inland shipping sector. Skippers who share their emission data with the Port of Rotterdam Authority via the Green Award system can neutralise this increase through a 5 per cent discount on inland port dues.

The current environmental differentiation scheme will be replaced by an incentive scheme based on Green Award certificates. Vessels with Bronze and Silver certificates will receive a 15 per cent discount, vessels with Gold certificates will receive a 30 per cent discount, and vessels with Platinum certificates will receive a 100 per cent discount on the inland port dues.

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Source: Port Of Rotterdam