Largest maritime ports in the European Union - statistics & facts
Historically, ports in Europe played an essential role in the continent's economic development, serving as tools for maritime trade and colonial expansion. Since the 15th century, naval ports on the coast of Europe have been growing both in prominence and size, handling an increasing volume of seaborne cargo. Between the adoption of shipping containers in the mid-20th century and the end of the century, ports in Europe - and later in the European Union (EU) - were among the leading ports in terms of container throughput worldwide. With the advent of the Asian economies, especially the Chinese economy in the early 21st century, European ports lost their global prominence.
In 2020, nearly 700,000 ships passed through EU ports, transporting a total of 3.3 billion metric tons of seaborne cargo. In the same year, some 94.3 million TEUs of containers were processed in EU ports, a decrease of over two percent compared with 2019. The Port of Rotterdam was the largest port in the EU in terms of seaborne cargo handled in 2020, followed by the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Hamburg.
In 2020, nearly 700,000 ships passed through EU ports, transporting a total of 3.3 billion metric tons of seaborne cargo. In the same year, some 94.3 million TEUs of containers were processed in EU ports, a decrease of over two percent compared with 2019. The Port of Rotterdam was the largest port in the EU in terms of seaborne cargo handled in 2020, followed by the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Hamburg.
