Oil storage fraud at Rotterdam Port raises concerns; 2.5B in suspicious deals reported
A long-running oil storage fraud at the Port of Rotterdam is reportedly threatening both the security of critical energy infrastructure and the port’s international reputation. De Volkskrant reported that the scheme, possibly run by an organized international criminal network, involves roughly 2.5 billion euros in suspicious transactions over recent years. The newspaper’s investigation uncovered 421 fraudulent websites linked to the fraud, with more than 40 percent registered in the United States, about 30 percent in Russia, and around 10 percent in the Netherlands.
The scheme, known as “storage spoofing,” reportedly generates tens of millions of euros a year by posing as legitimate oil storage or trading companies and offering oil or tank capacity that does not exist. What began as online fraud has allegedly increasingly spilled into the port itself, with industry officials and investigators warning that criminals—sometimes aided by corrupt port workers—are gaining access to restricted terminal sites, which raises the risk of possible sabotage.
The risks of storage spoofing became tangible on May 31, 2021, when three men gained unauthorized access to Shell’s refinery near Pernis. Video from the incident shows one man—wearing fluorescent safety gear and identified as an employee of inspection firm SGS—opening a valve on a storage tank and filling three bottles with oil while another filmed.
A copy of AD Rotterdams Dagblad was placed on the ground as a time stamp. Investigators later linked the footage to the ongoing fraud involving oil storage, prompting the criminal investigation known as “Barrel,” with court proceedings scheduled to begin Feb. 10. Shell confirmed to De Volkskrant it filed a police report.
Four years later, De Volkskrant found that the fraud is continuing on a large scale. In October 2025, inland shipping captain Wim Bartelse, 71, discovered a professionally designed English‑language website using the name of his one‑man business, Bartelse Shipping, falsely describing it as an “independent storage and shipping company” specializing in petroleum and petrochemical products. The site listed Bartelse’s home address in Heemstede as its contact location. “That’s when I knew: something was seriously wrong,” Bartelse said.
The newspaper's online research revealed the website's registration in Russia and its reuse of text from legitimate oil and storage companies. That finding triggered the broader investigation mentioned above.
Over 40 percent of the 421 flagged websites were registered in the United States, about 30 percent in Russia, and roughly 10 percent in the Netherlands. Numerous sites used the same designs, text, email addresses, and Dutch phone numbers, suggesting the involvement of organized international criminal networks.
