Summary

Preface

In 2024, we completed 9 land allocations totalling 25.8 hectares. Of these allocations, 25.4 hectares were issued in sublease and 0.4 hectares were sold. With these allocations we achieved a turnover of € 47m, with a net profit after tax of € 1.9m negative. It implies that our financial performance was not as good as in 2023. The main reason for this result is an incidental cost item, being a provision for isolating and monitoring contamination in the soil of the former site of Schipper Recycling in Delfzijl. Goods transshipments in our ports fell slightly to 13.6 million tonnes compared to 2023 (14.1 million tonnes).

We are proud to be the first port authority in the world to have been awarded its ninth consecutive EcoPorts certificate. This means that we are certified as a sustainable port for the 2025 – 2027 period.

We notice that energy-intensive businesses are struggling at the moment as a result of high energy prices. In combination with rising geopolitical tensions this impacts the rate of our land allocations. In 2024 we saw an increase in businesses that held back on investments due to deteriorations of the investment climate and/or location policies.

It is difficult to predict how this development will progress over the coming years. Our starting point will continue to be working on achieving a stable result. Therefore, we continue to monitor the implications of these developments for the course we take, and we prepare the relevant scenarios. In the meantime we do everything in our power to support business and we continue to invest in our base: infrastructure, utilities, quays, and land.

Cas König, CEO
Harold Sanders, CFO 

Key figures

2024 in events

1^st Quarter

11 January - UPPACT bv leases space in the Chemport Innovation Center (CIC) in Delfzijl. This start-up converts difficult to recycle mixed plastic and textile waste into sustainable construction materials. This is the first major step towards commercial production.

15 March – Holland Malt opens the world's first emission-free malting plant in Eemshaven. By closing the gas supply completely, Holland Malt moves from an annual gas consumption of 18 million m³ and CO2 emissions of approximately 33,000 tonnes to absolutely zero.

21 March – Twelve players endorsed cooperation to achieve the Sustainable Water Supply Delfzijl (DWD) project. That gives Eemshaven and the port of Delfzijl use of sustainable water solutions for new and existing industries.

2^nd Quarter

17 May – Circtec has started the construction of the circular flagship factory on a 21-hectare site at Oosterhorn-Zuid in Delfzijl. Circtec will use innovative methods to process used car tyres into a range of green chemicals and materials. 

10 June – The removal of the 220 kV connection between Vierverlaten and Eemshaven continues steadily. The pylons have become superfluous after commissioning a new 380 kV connection in 2023.

13 to 16 June – The seventh edition of DelfSail attracted a total of 318,000 visitors. Queen Máxima came to Delfzijl to christen two Royal Wagenborg vessels. For four days, the port of Delfzijl was full of tall ships and other unusual vessels.

3^rd Quarter

19 September – During Eemsdelta vision, Groningen Seaports announced the new name for the Oosterhorn-Zuid area in Delfzijl: Circulands. Access to clean energy will make Circulands a sustainable and circular industrial site, built with recycled materials and designed with plenty of green landscaping.

20 September – The official opening of the new TKF factory on the heavy-cargo quay in Eemshaven. The factory is focused specifically on the sustainable production of inter-array subsea cables, without using lead or bitumen, that connect the wind turbines of offshore wind farms with each other.

21 September – During World Clean-up Day, over a hundred volunteers collected more than 140 kilos of waste in the port of Delfzijl. Weighing in around 80 kilos less than the year before, that is good news.

4^th Quarter

22 October – The first batch of eight foundation piles have been unloaded and stored in Eemshaven for the construction of the Danish offshore wind farm Thor. Wind farm Thor is the 23rd wind farm that is constructed from Eemshaven.

22 October – Queen Máxima performed the official opening of the FDCA Flagship Plant of Avantium. Avantium will produce 5 kilotonnes of FDCA (furandicarboxylic acid), a building block for 100% plant-based and circular plastic PEF (polyethylene furanoate), known under the brand name Releaf.

6 November – Groningen Seaports has been awarded a European subsidy of more than € 4.4 million as a contribution to constructing an innovative hydrogen pipe between Eemshaven and Delfzijl. The money comes from the Just Transition Fund (JTF), which is a European subsidy programme that contributes to the transition to a climate-neutral Europe.

Investments in our port areas

By investing in available port and infrastructure facilities in advance, we want to enable companies to run their business in the most sustainable way. Groningen Seaports also aspires to having a leading position in creating sustainable facilities to support the development of the ports and the established businesses. Our investments are concentrated in two sites in the port of Delfzijl: Oosterhorn-Zuid and Heveskes.

In 2024, Groningen Seaports announced the new name for the Oosterhorn-Zuid area in Delfzijl: Circulands. Circulands offers businesses the opportunity of fully circular operation and is a blueprint for an industrial estate of the future. Last year, Groningen Seaports invested more than € 6 million in the development of construction and industrial sites at Oosterhorn. The sites to the south of the Oosterhorn canal, which are still to be developed, have been prepared for issue. Two subareas have been raised in the meantime, the former dredge spoil depot has been removed, and a landscape embedding plan has been prepared for the protected dwelling mound.

Groningen Seaports invested more than € 4 million in the development of the Heveskes site in 2024. In 2024, the construction of a connecting road with the nearby chemical park for emergency services was started and the preparations for integrating the security and alarm systems are underway.

Developments in Eemshaven

Over the past years, Eemshaven has become an energy hub of national and international importance with power stations, wind farms and solar parks, and with connections to the four corners of the world.

Offshore wind

As we have improved the port structure in Eemshaven, Buss Terminal Eemshaven now has a load-in and a load-out quay. This facilitates the construction of two projects at the same time. In 2024, RWE carried out loading, unloading, and construction activities from Eemshaven for the German offshore wind farm He Dreiht and the Danish offshore wind farm Thor. With the opening of the Twentsche Kabelfabriek (TKF), Eemshaven acquired an important player in the production for the offshore wind industry.

Community environmental meeting Eemshaven

To be able to fulfil our role in society properly, a good dialogue with our stakeholders is of crucial importance. To raise this dialogue to the next level, we started Strategic Environmental Management in 2024. The newly appointment Environment Manager set up the community environmental meeting Eemshaven with representatives from the residents’ lobby group Bewoners Belangen Eerst Oostpolder (BBE), GSP, Het Hogeland council, and the Groningen provincial executive. They proved successful too! At one of these meetings it was reported that the construction lights of Google caused nuisance to the surrounding villages. In consultation with Google, the light settings have been changed, and the residents suffered less nuisance immediately.

Developments in the port of Delfzijl

Industry

In 2024, the chemical recycling company Circtec located at a site of 21 hectare in Circulands. Elzinga Groep bv said it will locate on a site of 0.5 hectare in the Metal Park in Delfzijl.

Development new high-voltage and medium-voltage stations Delfzijl

Due to a growing demand for electricity, the then Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate started an exploration of the construction of new high-voltage and medium-voltage stations in the area of Delfzijl. In the summer of 2024, there was an information meeting organised by the then Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate. Visitors were particularly interested in the planned location of the new high-voltage and medium-voltage stations, what it would look like, and when the plans would be implemented.

DelfSail

From 13 to 16 June 2024, the seventh edition of DelfSail was held in the port of Delfzijl. For four days, many tall ships and other impressive vessels were in the port, and there was plenty to see and experience on the water and on the quays. The event, of which Groningen Seaports is the proud main sponsor, attracted a total of 318,000 visitors.

Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)

Groningen Seaports is expected to comply with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) as of 1 January 2025. Early 2024, we carried out a double materiality analysis in accordance with the ESRS standards. Seventeen standards and topics were assessed to be material by Groningen Seaports. The outcomes also serve as input for tightening up Groningen Seaports’ strategy for sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and future-proof governance.

Port facilities

Groningen Seaports works on the digitisation and automation of nautical processes to guarantee it can handle shipping traffic in a way that is safe, quick, clean, and secure. Protecting the safety in the ports, on the docks, and for shipping is another important pillar in nautical management.

Port calls

In 2024 the number of inland port calls (16.6%, 2023: -23.9%) and the number of maritime port calls (6.7%, 2023: -2.7%) went up, which led to a total rise in the number of port calls of 10.7% (2023: -12.6%).

Transshipment

In 2024, goods transshipments in our ports fell slightly to 13.6 million tonnes compared to 2023 (14.1 million tonnes). This was largely caused by changes to existing large flows of goods transshipment (LNG and sand). For LNG we notice the impact of the global market: whereas LNG still was the largest contributor to transshipment with 32% in 2023, this contribution fell to 20% in 2024.

Shipping incidents

In 2024, there were 62 shipping incidents in the management area of Groningen Seaports (2023: 39). The increase is partly explained by businesses and individuals reporting incidents sooner after it was emphasised during meetings that every incident or suspicious situation should be reported.

Organisation

At the end of 2024, Groningen Seaports had 104 employees (2023: 99) with a distribution of 29% women and 71% men. The average age of our employees is 47 years.

Corporate Governance

Groningen Seaports NV is an unlisted public limited company with one shareholder: the joint arrangement (GR) Havenschap Groningen Seaports. This joint arrangement consists of three participants: the Provincial Executive of Groningen, the municipality of Het Hogeland, and the municipality of Eemsdelta. The Executive Board of the GR Havenschap Groningen Seaports decides how the chair of this Executive Board will exercise the voting rights attached to the shares in Groningen Seaports NV. The general meeting may adopt resolutions at a meeting or outside a meeting. Resolutions outside a meeting are adopted in writing and unanimously.

In 2024, a new strategic framework was adopted and it was decided to amend the joint arrangement (GR). It will change from a joint arrangement to a council-based arrangement. The new shareholder strategy will be adopted in 2025.

Executive Board

• Mr C.L. (Cas) König (CEO)

• Mr H.V. (Harold) Sanders (CFO)

Supervisory board

• Mr F.A.M. (Frans) Keurentjes (chairperson)

• Ms D. (Dertje) Meijer

• Mr J. (Joop) Atsma

• Ms J. (Jantje) Schiphorst (member of the audit committee)

• Mr U. (Ulco) Vermeulen (member of the audit committee)

Balance Sheet

Income statement