Port of Rotterdam
The Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is both a hub of international goods flow and an industrial complex of global stature. Gateway to a European market of more than 500 million consumers, the Port of Rotterdam has an annual throughput of over 400 million tonnes of goods, making it by far the biggest seaport in Europe.
Rotterdam is connected with over 1,000 ports worldwide by more than 500 scheduled liner services. Often being the first or last port of call in Europe, Rotterdam is visited by the many global container liner services who only call at a limited number of European ports. Feeder ships carry containers by sea from Rotterdam to smaller ports. Terminals at the Maasvlakte can be reached within one or two hours from the pilot station.
Directly situated on the North Sea, Rotterdam is one of Europe’s most accessible ports, at 24m deep with no locks it provides unrestricted 24 hour access for the very largest ocean-going vessels including mammoth tankers, ore carriers and container vessels. The many maritime service providers present in Rotterdam guarantee rapid turnaround times.
Rotterdam and its surrounding region offers a complete range of companies specialising in storage and transshipment, transport, industrial processing and auxiliary services plus business services such as banks, insurance companies and trading houses.
Mission and main tasks
As manager, operator and developer of the port of Rotterdam, our mission is:
'The Port of Rotterdam Authority is developing, in partnership, the European world-class port'
The partnership is real. The main partners are companies established in the port or which provide their services. The Port Authority also works closely with the State, the municipality of Rotterdam, local authorities and interest groups.
A world-class European port. In the coming fifteen years, the port of Rotterdam will continue to grow. More goods will flow through the port, more companies will set up business and there will be more demand for specialised knowledge and services. This is good not only for Rotterdam, but also for the Netherlands and for Europe.
Our main tasks are:
- To strengthen the competitive position of the port, with a focus on certain sectors. This translates into greater customer satisfaction
- To provide room for companies so that they can develop further by making better use of the existing space and infrastructure, and, in time, to provide extra space
- To at least maintain the level of speedy, safe, clean and secure handling of shipping
- To create optimum conditions for the development of the port and residential environment
(accessibility, labour, safety, the environment, general support)
- To guarantee a financially profitable and creditworthy enterprise
- To ensure that the organisation is in top form