HES Botlek Tank Terminal in Rotterdam will allocate sixty-five percent of its storage capacity to biofuels starting January 1, 2026. This is made possible by a new long-term contract with a major customer. With this step, the terminal is more than two years ahead of its own strategy, which aimed for sixty percent by 2028.
Decision is well ahead of strategy
The HES Botlek press release explicitly mentions the date, the new contract, and the fact that the 2028 target will be achieved earlier. This way, the company is anchoring the shift in its portfolio, with biofuels as the focus.
Terminal capacity and services
The terminal has a total of 510,000 cubic meters of tank space. Access is available via seagoing vessels, inland waterways, rail, and road. Services include heating, mixing, and blending. The site boasts certifications such as ISCC, ISO 9001, ISO 45001, and ISO 28000. This combination makes the location suitable for a wide range of biostreams.
Rotterdam is moving further towards organic
HES's decision fits into a broader shift in the port. In 2023, Vopak added sixteen tanks in Vlaardingen for raw materials and products for biofuels. In early 2025, it commissioned an electric boiler there to reduce gas consumption. At the same time, total throughput in Rotterdam declined by 4,1 percent in the first half of 2025, primarily in dry and liquid bulk. Storage companies are therefore seeking growth in new flows such as biofuels.
Production moves, logistics invests
Not all planned production materialized. Shell decided on September 3, 2025, to halt construction of its biofuel plant in Rotterdam after a reassessment of costs and competitiveness. BP abandoned similar plans for the port in the same month. Neste, on the other hand, is increasing available volumes by producing sustainable aviation fuel in Rotterdam, with a capacity of up to half a million tons per year. The combination of fewer new production projects and more SAF from existing plants is keeping demand for reliable storage and distribution high.
Policy pushes up demand
Starting in 2025, the European Union will have a SAF blending requirement. Fuel suppliers at all EU airports must start with two percent, a share that will gradually increase by 2050. This increases the need for terminals that can safely store biofuels and deliver them quickly to airports and fuel suppliers.
Source: hesinternational.eu
Photo: Tjeerd, Adobe Stock
