Europe’s container ports: Why is transshipment falling while gateway traffic grows?

Europe’s major container ports are reporting increasingly contrasting traffic patterns in 2026, with headline throughput figures concealing significant changes in the composition of cargo flows. At Rotterdam and Valencia, transshipment volumes have declined substantially during the first nine months of the year, while traffic linked to imports and inland markets has strengthened. Antwerp-Bruges presents a different picture, with modest overall container growth driven by empty rather than full containers. The figures raise an important question for Europe’s port sector: are changes in terminal capacity, cargo demand and shipping networks altering the balance between transshipment and gateway activity? The available evidence points to changes at individual ports rather than a confirmed Europe-wide shift.