Rotterdam port explosion: One dead and several injured as Dutch police investigate blast

One person has died and several others are injured after an explosion at Europe's largest port in Rotterdam.

The blast took place at a storage tank at the Gunvor Energy on Moezelweg in Europoort.

A Rotterdam police spokesman said the cause of the explosion was still unclear.

Detectives confirmed the explosionm which happened at around 11.30am (9.30am GMT) was being investigated.

The Port of Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe and the 11th busiest port in the world by cargo tonnage.

Dutch media reports "multiple" people were injured and taken to hospital, as six ambulances, a trauma helicopter and fire crews were sent to the scene.

A hired maintenance crew reportedly had been working on pipelines at the site and that something may have gone wrong as those pipes were being disconnected.

Traces of an explosion were visible on the sides of a storage tank.

Simultaneously, Gunvor Energy, which operates oil product storage tanks in the same area near the port, reported a separate "incident" during maintenance activity that had left at least several people injured on Thursday morning, a spokesperson said.

"We are cooperating with local authorities," the spokesperson for Gunvor said.

Local media reported that there had been several power outages at Rotterdam port earlier today.

Dutch safety authorities and police said they were still investigating if there was a link between the power outages and the blast.

A Rotterdam Port spokesperson said LNG terminals were not affected.

Exxonmobil shut all units at its 191,000 barrels/day Rotterdam refinery due to a power outage, consultancy Wood Mackenzie said in an alert to clients seen by reporters.

Rotterdam Port said there was no connection between the blast and the power outage.

The Dutch city is a major gateway into Europe's industrial heartland, with inland connections to Germany via the Rhine.

Officers confirmed there was no immediate indication of sabotage in Rotterdam incident, but it is among scenarios being investigated.

Shell said its operations at the port were unaffected by the blast, with ExxonMobil confirming the power outage at their Rotterdam refinery has been resolved and operations are resuming as normal.

As part of the wider Port of Rotterdam complex, Europoort covers around 12,500 hectares of land and water, including more than 6,000 hectares of industrial sites.

The port handled around 428.4 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, with roughly 75 seagoing vessels visit the port each day.

Official statistics show the port contributes around 2.9 per cent of the total Dutch GDP.