Amsterdam port expands renewable fuel chains as volumes reach 7.9 million tonnes

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The Port of Amsterdam is expanding infrastructure and storage for renewable fuels as rising volumes of biofuels, methanol and other low carbon energy products reshape the port’s traditional role as a fossil fuel hub.

The transition became visible in May 2025, when Van Oord’s offshore installation vessel Boreas received 500 tonnes of green methanol during a regular bunkering operation in the Amerikahaven. The fuel was transferred from the bunker vessel Chicago, demonstrating that methanol supply is moving beyond isolated trials and into commercial port operations.

Behind that single delivery was a wider logistics chain involving fuel production, transport, terminal storage, bunker capacity and a vessel able to consume the product. If one part of that chain is unavailable, the entire operation can stall.

Port of Amsterdam has served as a major energy gateway for more than a century, distributing fuels to industrial users, businesses and consumers across the Netherlands and other European markets.

That function remains important, but the products moving through the port are changing. Storage capacity for renewable components in the Amsterdam port area increased from about 300,000 cubic metres in 2020 to approximately 700,000 cubic metres.

Non fossil product throughput rose from around 2 million tonnes to more than 7 million tonnes over the same period. In 2025, the port handled approximately 7.9 million tonnes of pure renewable liquids, an increase of more than 10 percent compared with 2024.

The figures point to growing commercial activity, although renewable fuels remain part of a market that is still developing. Unlike the established oil and gas sector, the emerging energy system does not depend on one dominant fuel.

Sustainable aviation fuel is being developed for aircraft, while shipping companies are considering methanol and bio LNG. Biodiesel and other biofuels remain relevant for road transport and existing diesel engines. Biogas producers are also converting organic residues into renewable gas.

Each product needs its own supply chain, safety procedures, storage facilities and transport connections. Building several systems at the same time is more complicated than replacing one fuel with another.

Established energy companies in Amsterdam are adapting their assets to serve these developing markets.

VTTI, owner of Eurotank Terminal in the Petroleumhaven, has traditionally handled fossil fuel flows and gasoline blending. The company is also developing activities involving renewable feedstocks and sustainable fuels.

One initiative involves a planned facility that would pretreat feedstocks used in biofuel production. The port authority is working on the quay infrastructure required for the project.

DARE, which owns an ethanol terminal in the port area, is examining an expansion of its biofuel storage capacity. Any expansion would involve more than installing additional tanks. It would also require sufficient land, waterside access and alignment with surrounding port operations.

Biodiesel producers Greenergy and Argent Energy already process waste materials such as used cooking oil and other residual oils. Biogas companies are converting organic waste streams into renewable gas, while separate plans involving hydrogen, methanol, biogas and carbon dioxide are being assessed across the port area.

These projects illustrate how existing terminals and industrial sites can be adapted for different feedstocks and customers without abandoning their established logistics role.

Technical capability alone does not guarantee that a renewable fuel project will proceed. Developers face electricity grid congestion, nitrogen emission restrictions, limited land availability, environmental capacity constraints and lengthy permitting procedures.

Future regulation and customer demand also remain uncertain. Producers may need to invest before long term demand has been secured, while shipowners and other buyers may delay conversion until reliable fuel supplies are available.

The situation resembles assembling a logistics route in which the vessel, terminal, inland transport and customer must all be ready at the same time. A delay at one point can prevent the cargo from moving, even when every other component is in place.

The port authority does not produce fuel. Its role is to provide land, facilitate infrastructure, connect potential partners and assess how projects can fit within the existing industrial area.

That work includes planning quay capacity, energy connections, safety zones, environmental space and access to suitable plots. It may also involve reserving capacity before demand has fully developed or introducing companies that need each other to establish a viable supply chain.

Some projects will be delayed or cancelled as markets and regulations change. Others will require new infrastructure before commercial volumes become available. In Amsterdam, the familiar landscape of tanks, terminals and quays is therefore being adapted gradually as renewable fuel flows take a larger role in the port’s energy business.