Herculean Ships Gather in Port of Rotterdam

The largest vessels in the world will be moored in the port of Rotterdam in the next 7 days, thanks to the port's deep-draft facilities.

On Friday 16 August, all attention will focus on the first visit of the Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller. With a capacity of 18,000 TEU (twenty-foot containers), a length of 399 metres and a width of 59 metres, this vessel is by far the largest container ship in the world.

The Ti Europe will be moored at Dolphins 80 in the Calandkanaal. With a length of 380 metres and width of 69 metres, this white tanker is the largest oil tanker in the world still in operation (420,000 dwt).

In addition, the Vale Rio is expected at EMO in the Mississippihaven. This ship, the largest iron ore vessel in the world, measures 362 metres by 65 metres. Two years ago, the ship succeeded the Berge Stahl as the biggest iron ore carrier and the Berge Stahl will also be in the port on Friday, at EECV. The vessel measures ‘only’ 343 metres by 63.5 metres.

Depth

The largest vessels in the world visit the port of Rotterdam. This is due to the depth of the port, up to almost 23 metres (the height of an eight-storey block of flats), and thanks to the Eurogeul, a channel in the North Sea stretching for 57 kilometres and with a guaranteed depth of 25 metres. This depth is mainly needed for iron ore vessels and oil tankers.

When fully loaded, the Vale Rio has a draught of 23 metres and the Ti Europe a massive 24.5 metres. The Maersk Mc-Kinney Moller just a maximum draught of 16 metres. The unique thing about the port of Rotterdam is that this ship can access the Europahaven 24 hours a day, in normal circumstances.