In Northwest Europe, Rotterdam is the absolute leader in the throughput and storage of crude oil. The 95 to 100 million tonnes of crude oil annually entering Rotterdam are almost entirely destined for refineries in the port itself and in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. In addition to the import and crude oil storage, the port of Rotterdam also offers opportunities as a distribution hub for petroleum.
The port of Rotterdam is a very convenient choice for the supply and transit of crude oil in Europe. The crude oil in Rotterdam comes mainly from the Middle East, the North Sea region and Russia. Since the tank terminals are located directly on deep water and Rotterdam has no locks or tides, Rotterdam can accommodate even the largest oil tankers such as ULCCs and supertankers with a capacity of 500,000 DWT. Through an extensive network of pipelines, the crude oil is transported efficiently and safely to the refineries.
Detailed information on oil refineries, tank storage capacity and investments in the port of Rotterdam can be found in the Facts & Figures Rotterdam Energy Port and Petrochemical Cluster.
In Rotterdam, oil tankers unload crude oil at crude oil terminals in the Europoort and on the Maasvlakte. There, the oil is mixed to the specifications of the refineries, which is called blending. The crude oil terminals then pump the crude oil to the refineries through a network of pipelines. Half of it is transported to refineries of Shell, ExxonMobil, Gunvor Petroleum Rotterdam and Koch in the port of Rotterdam. The other half is transported to refineries in Vlissingen, Antwerp and Germany. At the refineries, the crude oil is processed into various oil products, such as petrol, diesel, LPG, fuel oil and naphtha.
Would you like to know more about the options for storage and handling of crude oil in the port of Rotterdam? Please contact:
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