10 June 2026

Federal President Steinmeier and King Willem-Alexander visit the Porthos site

On Wednesday 10 June, Porthos had the honour of welcoming German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and King Willem-Alexander to the Maasvlakte in Rotterdam. The visit took place as part of the German President’s three-day state visit to the Netherlands, with the Port of Rotterdam taking centre stage on the second day. The President and the King were accompanied by a delegation of representatives from Dutch and German industry and government. Among them were Mayor of Rotterdam Carola Schouten and Minister of Climate Policy and Green Growth Stientje van Veldhoven.

The Port of Rotterdam plays a key role in the economic relationship between the Netherlands and Germany. For the German industry, the port is one of the most important gateways to the global market. In addition, approximately 13 per cent of Europe’s total energy demand enters Europe via Rotterdam. During the visit, the focus was on economic cooperation between the two countries which will make industry more sustainable, and the development of sustainable energy and raw materials supply chains.

The port visit began with a tour of Porthos. Experts from the Porthos organisation and the CEOs of the shareholders Gasunie, Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN) and the Port of Rotterdam explained how the project works and the infrastructure currently being developed. During the site visit, those present gained an insight into how the various components of the Porthos infrastructure come together to form a single system for the transport and safe storage of CO₂ in depleted gas fields in the North Sea.

The state visit highlights the close cooperation between the Netherlands and Germany in the political, economic and social spheres. Germany is the Netherlands’ most important trading partner and a key ally within the European Union, the United Nations and NATO. At the same time, the Netherlands is Germany’s third-largest trading partner. Within the European Union, Porthos is seen as the start of a CO₂ hub and thus as an important foundation for future international CCS projects. The visit provides a platform for the many partnerships between the two countries and highlights the importance of a joint, forward-looking agenda.

For Porthos, the visit represents a special recognition of the role the project plays in helping reduce industrial CO₂ emissions. Furthermore, the visit underlines the importance of cooperation amongst government, industry and infrastructure partners to achieve climate targets and accelerate the energy transition in the Netherlands and Europe.