Good connections at Rotterdam but Wilmar faces green constraints at Europe’s busiest port

[ROTTERDAM] Being near Europe’s busiest port gives a logistical edge – but the continent’s stricter green rules may hamper growth, as Singapore-listed agribusiness Wilmar International is discovering.

Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, is home to Europe’s largest seaport and is a major transport hub. The Netherlands is Singapore’s top European destination for exported goods, with consignments reaching S$11.2 billion in 2023, said Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG) director for Europe, Alan Yeo.

Chemicals are a particularly important industry. One of the world’s top five chemical clusters, the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Rhine-Ruhr area, spans the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany – and accounts for 30 to 40 per cent of the industry’s turnover in Europe, noted Yeo.