A big number of European ports constitute major gateways for international transportation. Apart from the giant container port trio Rotterdam - Antwerp - Hamburg, there are several European hubs which are also developing, achieving to be considered as key hubs for European and global supply chain.
The following list includes the busiest box ports in Europe, according to 2020 data:
1. The Port of Rotterdam is by far the largest and busiest port in Europe and the 11th busiest port in the world, handling 14,349,446 TEU in 2020. With approximately 42 deep-sea calls per week and more than 100 direct deep-sea services in almost 200 ports around the world, the Dutch port is also the largest transhipment hub in Europe.
2. Port of Antwerp, Belgium. The second busiest European port constitutes a gateway to the continent as 60% of European purchasing power is located within a radius of 500 kilometres from Antwerp.
3. Port of Hamburg, Germany. The port includes four container terminals, all operated by the German operator Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), with the containerised cargo accounting for 70% of its total throughput in the last year.
4. Port of Piraeus, Greece. The largest container hub in the Mediterranean, the 4th busiest in Europe and the 26th worldwide, handling 5,437,000 TEU in 2020, while it accommodates a total box capacity of approximately 7.2 million TEU.
5. ValenciaPort, Spain. The port has intermodal infrastructure which provides a gateway to Southern Europe and Spain’s major cities by rail and highway. It distributes goods over a radius of 2,000km, both in European countries and in North Africa, representing a market of 270 million consumers.
6. Algeciras Port, Spain. Consisting of several maritime infrastructures scattered throughout the Bay of Gibraltar, Algeciras is the closest European port to the African continent.
7. Bremen - Bremerhaven Ports, Germany. A total of 14 berths for mega-container vessels and a railway through which half of the containers are being transported on the hinterland, are the main factors that make the twin ports a suitable spot for transhipments.
8. Port of Felixstowe, United Kingdom. The UK port is well known for its decarbonisation activity while it is equipped with 22 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes which use up to 40% less fuel than standard machines.
9. Port of Gioia Tauro, Italy. Encompassing an area of more than 853 meters of water surface, the port has the ability to accommodate trans-oceanic vessels in transit in the Mediterranean.
10. Barcelona Port, Spain. he port in Catalonia comprises two container terminals with a berthing line of more than 3,000 metres and provides approximately 100 services with 200 ports on five continents.