One person killed and six injured after explosion at Rotterdam port

A blast at a petroleum storage facility in the port of Rotterdam has killed one person and wounded six others, Dutch officials said.

The explosion occurred at Europe's largest port, in the Netherlands, at about 11.30am local time on Thursday. The cause remains under investigation.

A spokesperson for Gunvor, a major energy commodities trading company, said the "incident" occurred during maintenance work on one of its storage tanks.

Police said there was no immediate sign of ‌sabotage but that all possible scenarios were being investigated.

Gunvor said it was cooperating with local authorities.

Parts of the sprawling port were also affected by a power outage on Thursday, which Rotterdam port said was not related to the blast.

The port of Rotterdam hosts Europe's largest oil refinery, Shell's Pernis plant, which processes approximately 404,000 barrels per day. It also hosts ​other oil refineries operated by BP, ExxonMobil, and Vitol.

A port of Rotterdam spokesperson said: "We are deeply saddened by the tragic incident that occurred this morning at Gunvor Energy in the Port of Rotterdam.

"Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the deceased victim and with those who were injured. We extend our sympathy to everyone directly or indirectly affected by this accident.

"In addition, several incidents occurred in the port of Rotterdam this morning following a power outage. This happened in the Botlek area, some 10km further on.

"Based on the information currently available, the power outage in the Botlek area and the incident at Gunvor Energy appear to be unrelated."

The spokesperson added that LNG terminals were not affected by the blast.

Rotterdam emergency services reported the major power failure and said that a transformer had caught fire under unexplained circumstances.

Power was fully restored to the area by mid-afternoon.

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Data from European gas transmission group ENTSOG showed a temporary drop in gas send out ‌from Rotterdam's Gate LNG terminal, and then volatile flows.

It was not clear if that was a consequence of the blast or the unrelated power outage.

The terminal is one of northwest Europe's key LNG import hubs and any prolonged disruption may be closely watched by traders.

Dutch gas storage sites are currently only around 40% ​full ahead of the winter heating ​season, according to Gas Infrastructure Europe data.

Shell said its operations at the port had not been impacted by the explosion.

(c) Sky News 2026: One person killed and six injured after explosion at Rotterdam port