Port of Rotterdam
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe. Since 2004 Asian ports like Singapore and Shanghai have taken over its world-leading position. In 2004 Rotterdam was the seventh-largest port in the world in terms of containers (TEU) handled.
The EECV-quay of the port has a draft of 24 meters (78 feet),[1] making it the only available mooring location for the iron ore bulk carrier Berge Stahl, the largest bulk cargo ship in the world, apart from its loading port Terminal Marítimo de Ponta da Madeira in Brazil. The ship's draft of 23 meters (75 feet) leaves only 1 meter (3 feet) of clearing, therefore it has to abide a tidal-window advice before access to the port is granted.[2]
Most important for the port of Rotterdam are the petrochemical industry and general cargo transhipment handlings. The harbour functions as an important transit point for transport of bulk and other goods between the European continent and other parts of the world. From Rotterdam goods are transported by ship, river barge, train or road. Since 2000 the Betuweroute, a fast cargo railway from Rotterdam to Germany, has been under construction. Large oil refineries are located west of the city. The river Meuse and Rhine also provide excellent access to the hinterland.
In the first half of the twentieth century the port activities moved from the centre towards the North Sea. The Nieuwe Waterweg was dug from Rotterdam to the North Sea, a canal to disembogue the shallow Rhine and Meuse. The Nieuwe Waterweg was ready in 1872 and all sorts of industrial activity formed on the banks of this canal.
Rotterdam's harbour territory has been enlarged by the construction of the Europoort (gate to Europe) complex along the mouth of the Nieuwe Waterweg, and by the Maasvlakte in the North Sea near Hoek van Holland. The construction of a second Maasvlakte received initial political approval in 2004, but was stopped by the Raad van State (the Dutch Council of State, which advises the government and parliament on legislation and governance) in 2005, because the plans did not take enough account of environmental issues. On October 10, 2006, however, approval was acquired to start construction in 2008, aiming for the first ship to anchor in 2013.
