Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port and comprises oil refineries, liquefied natural gas terminals and multiple petrochemical facilities
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenReutersPublished: 9:57pm, 13 Aug 2026Updated: 9:59pm, 13 Aug 2026A blast at a storage facility for petroleum products at the Netherlands’ Rotterdam port killed one person and wounded several others on Thursday, officials said, adding that the cause was unknown.
A spokesperson for major energy commodities trading company Gunvor said an “incident” occurred during maintenance work on a storage tank. A police spokesperson said that there was no immediate sign of sabotage and that all possible scenarios were under investigation.
Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port and comprises oil refineries, liquefied natural gas terminals and multiple petrochemical facilities. Shell, ExxonMobil, BP and Gunvor Energy are among the energy majors operating at the port.
Gunvor said it was cooperating with local authorities.
