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If Netherlands is such an important trading nation in modern times, it is mainly because of Rotterdam. For 40 years, ever since I was rebuilt after the Second World War, Rotterdam was the biggest port in the world. Since 2004, Shanghai and Singapore have taken the lead but Rotterdam remains the number one port in Europe as well as Europe’s largest logistic and industrial hub. Rotterdam leads its main rivals in Europe - Antwerp, Bremen or Hamburg by a wide margin. Throughput in 2006 amounted to 377 million tones and the actual number of containers handled rose to 9.6 million TEU (20-foot units).
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Rotterdam offers several advantages as a port:
- The port of Rotterdam is situated directly on the North Sea. The very largest ocean-going vessels have unrestricted access around the clock, seven days a week. The port has a depth of 24 meters (75 feet) and there are no obstacles such as locks or tides in Rotterdam. Through the Eurogeul, sea-going vessels with drafts of up to 74 feet and a DWT of 365,000 tons can access the port under any condition. More than 500 scheduled services link Rotterdam with over 1,000 ports worldwide.
- The port is the gateway to a European market of 450 million consumers. The European market is accessible from Rotterdam via five competing modes of transport: road, rail, inland shipping, coastal shipping and pipeline. Goods which arrive in Rotterdam in the morning can be in, for example, Germany, Belgium, France or Great Britain the same afternoon. One of the main advantages of Rotterdam is its location on the estuary of the rivers Rhine and Maas. As a result, efficient and economical transport by inland vessel is possible deep into the heart of Europe.
- Rotterdam offers unrivalled facilities in the fields of logistics and transport: Rotterdam accommodates a wide range of renowned logistics service providers. The logistics service providers can act as a fiscal representative, pack and re-pack, customize products, label, test, execute quality control, sample, assemble, distribute just - in - time and take care of invoicing for their principals.
- To explore the opportunities of the European market, Rotterdam is an ideal location to start or expand activities in Europe.
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Types of cargo handled
The port is perfectly geared to simultaneously handling chemicals, ore, liquid bulk, dry bulk, vehicles, general cargo, cold cargoes, foodstuffs and containers.
For every kind of dry bulk – from large to small the port offers all the required facilities for the efficient transshipment, storage, processing and distribution. In 2006, Rotterdam handled about 87 million tones of dry bulk including a record quantity of coal of over 27 million tons; Most of the dry bulk is destined important industrial centers in Europe. Customers can benefit from the port's optimal location on the estuary of the Rhine and Maas rivers. A single inland push barge can transport as much as 15,000 tons of iron ore, coal, agribulk or other dry bulk in a single trip to and from locations in the heart of Germany, Belgium and France. And through the Rhine-Main-Danube canal, inland barges can also reach destinations deep in the heartland of Eastern Europe.
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For many decades now, Rotterdam has been one of the leading oil and chemical centers in the world. The total tank storage capacity in Rotterdam for all types of bulk liquids exceeds 30 million m3. Products handled include crude oil, mineral oil products like gasoline, diesel, kerosene and naphtha, all types of liquid bulk chemicals and edible oils and fats. During 2006, total volume handled was up by 3% to 176 million tones. Incoming trade in crude oil was 99 million tones.
The prominent companies in the field of liquid bulk have set up operations in Rotterdam. There are 4 world-scale oil refineries, more than 40 (petro) chemical companies, 3 industrial gas producers and 13 major tank storage and distribution companies in the port area. All of these companies are interconnected via a network of pipelines that in total covers more than 1,500 kilometers. Through this network, liquid bulk can be quickly, safely and environment-friendly be moved to destinations in Belgium, German and the Netherlands itself.
Rotterdam is increasingly offering opportunities for new products and businesses. New cargo flows include rape oil and ethanol (used in the production of biodiesel), ETBE and palm oil. Since the fall of 2005, Palm oil is also refined in Rotterdam by Malaysia-based Loders Croklaan. Kuok Oils & Grains (KOG) also has plans to establish a palm oil processing plant in the port area. Expectations are that eventually, more than a million tons of crude palm oil will come into the port annually.
2006 was another good year for the general cargo sector, with an increase of 4 million tons to 113 million tones. Rotterdam is also a gateway for agro food products. From Rotterdam, these products are moved to a wide range of destinations throughout Europe.
Expansion plans
As the whole of the port is operating at full capacity and with the current terminal capabilities, it is not possible to grow further, Rotterdam is building new container terminals. In September 2007, Port of Rotterdam Authority signed an agreement with Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG), a five member-consortium, for building the new €900 million terminal at Rotterdam, RWG. The consortium consists of DP World, APL, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), and CMA CGM. The agreement covers building the superstructure, equipping and operating the new terminal at the Maasvlakte 2 development, The terminal will have a 1900-metre long deep-sea quay with a depth of 20 meters, a 550-metre quay for inland shipping and feeder vessels and its own rail terminal with a connection to the Betuweroute. It will have a capacity of some 4 million TEU. The terminal will be phased into operation from 2013 onwards.
Once the terminal is built Rotterdam will be a very important main hub for the TNWA Lines, CMA-CGM and DP World.
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| Total Port area |
10,500 ha |
| Area of industrial sites (available) |
5,100 ha |
| Area of water |
3,440 ha |
| Infrastructure |
1,960 ha |
| Total Port length |
T40 km |
| Pipelines |
1,500 km |
| Quay length |
74 km |
| Slopes length |
187 km |
| Total Port length |
T40 km |
| Terminals |
| Container terminals (for deep-sea, short sea and inland shipping) |
11 |
| Multi purpose terminals |
17 |
| All Weather terminals |
1 |
| Roll on / Roll off terminals |
7 |
| Car terminals |
1 |
| Fruit terminals |
2 |
| Juice terminals |
3 |
| Bulk terminals |
20 |
| Cruise terminal |
1 |
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