Dutch Maritime Groups Warn Rotterdam Losing Bunker Market Share Due to Unfair Renewable Fuel Rules

Dutch maritime groups including Deltalinqs and the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners have called on the government to fix uneven renewable fuel rules that are driving bunker business away from Rotterdam. A position paper says the Netherlands' implementation of the revised Renewable Energy Directive (RED III) has raised marine fuel costs by requiring suppliers to blend renewable fuels or buy emissions reduction units, while limiting used cooking oil as a feedstock. Rotterdam's Q2 2026 bunker sales dropped 25.7% year on year to 1.75 million mt, while Antwerp-Bruges saw a 5.5% increase. The groups warn this price gap is causing carbon leakage, as ships bunker cheaper conventional fuels in neighboring ports instead of lower-carbon options in Rotterdam. They want the Dutch government to coordinate with Belgium and Germany on a level regulatory framework to protect investment in future marine fuel infrastructure and prevent further loss of bunker market share.