Emile Hoogsteden News

Container traffic at the Port of Rotterdam has reached a record level this year and is expected to be high again in 2022, Europe's largest sea port said on Wednesday.The port said that it had received 15 million containers this year up until Wednesday, marking the first time a European port had reached that level.Container freight, measured in the equivalent of twenty-foot long containers (TEU), has increased at least 5% in 2021 from last year, when transport was heavily disrupted…

Congestion and bottlenecks in moving container traffic through the Port of Rotterdam, Europe's largest, are likely to persist through 2022, port officials said on Thursday, potentially weighing on economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic.Although throughput volume at the port is now above 2019 levels, it is being constrained by various logistical challenges the port is seeking to address, the officials told a news briefing.They said the highest immediate priority was improving schedule reliability…

This week, various parties in Rotterdam will be launching a new pilot project, in which containers are handled and released without a PIN code: a widely used verification method in this transport segment. The project revolves around a new application, Secure Container Release, which replaces the PIN code with a digital signal: a solution that is significantly less susceptible to fraud. It is not only intended to make container handling more efficient, but also safer. Participants in the three-month trial include CMA CGM…

German energy company E.ON, Rotterdam Port Authority and DeltaPort Niederrheinhäfen are partnering up to create conditions conducive to switching inland shipping in Germany and Europe from diesel to battery and/or hydrogen drives.The companies agreed in Essen to develop an infrastructure so that freight and passenger ships with climate-neutral propulsion can exchange battery containers or refuel hydrogen in the ports.The partners' goals include climate protection, improved air quality and the long-term optimization of logistics costs.The pilot concept will initially focus on the German inland DeltaPort location in Voerde and Wesel, which will be developed into a sustainable port network as part of the EcoPort813 project.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is intensifying its joint activities with parties in India. 'As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India is investing heavily in the development of seaports, industrial areas and hinterland connections.The largest port in Europe will sign two Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with India, appointed an office and also supported the establishment of a maritime university that will partner with Rotterdam's institutions, marking the port's joint initiatives with Indian parties.It has appointed Broekman Logistics India as its representative team in the country, as the port looks to strengthen its activities in the region.The Port of Rotterdam Authority has been active in India for a number of years…

Germany wants to improve hinterland transport from the port of Rotterdam. German Transport Minister Volker Wissing visited the Port of Rotterdam as part of a three-day delegation trip to the Netherlands.Wissing and Emile Hoogsteden, Vice President of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, emphasized the importance of the Rhine Corridor and its ports for the transport of goods to Rhineland-Palatinate and Europe as a whole.The freight corridor from Rotterdam to Genoa is one of the most crucial European logistics axes and is also enormously important for the transport of goods to and from Rhineland-Palatinate.The Port of Rotterdam, the State of Rhineland-Palatinate and its port operations have been working closely together to improve hinterland transport from the Port of Rotterdam…

The inland terminals CTU in Lelystad, HOV Harlingen and Westerman Multimodal Logistics in Hasselt joined the North West Central Corridor in June.The new partnership of deep-sea terminals, inland terminals and inland shipping companies on the Amsterdam-Utrecht-Rotterdam route was established in February 2019.The number of inland terminals connected to the North West Central Corridor has increased in three months from five to eight terminals, resulting in a total shipment volume of 6,500 TEU per week. This adds approximately 100,000 TEU on top of the 250,000 TEU that is currently shipped via this trade route. Freight volume originating from Harlingen…

The Port of Rotterdam has announced the establishment of the Rotterdam Food Hub, strengthening its position as Western Europe’s biggest transit port for agricultural, horticultural and fishery products.Part of this strategy is the establishment of the Rotterdam Food Hub at Calandkanaal, at the entrance to Maasvlakte. The 60-hectare industrial site is being prepared to offer optimal facilities for ‘agrofood’ sector companies.Land allocation discussions taking place with interested parties for over half of the 60-hectare industrial site near Maasvlakte.Population growth and increasing prosperity, particularly in emerging economies, have resulted in ‘agrofood’ becoming a growth market.

Netherlands-based Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, has signed a partnership with the North Brabant region, the region of Eindhoven, north of Belgium, to realise increased container transport via inland shipping.In 2018, over 8.6 million containers were transhipped in the Port of Rotterdam (14.5 million TEU). With over 1 million containers, North Brabant is one of Rotterdam’s most important hinterland regions, but with a relatively high share of road transport is facing increasing pressure on its road networks.More freight volume per inland shipping instead of by truck (modal shift) will result in a more accessible port and region.Emile Hoogsteden…

Inland shipping is essential for the transportation of containers on the Amsterdam-Utrecht-Rotterdam route. 250,000 containers are transported annually via this routeTMA Logistics, CTU and VCL join forces to establish the North West Central Corridor. This cargo consolidation will result in a more reliable barge product, more sustainable transport and fewer handling delays at the terminals.The initiative is supported by the deep sea container terminals in Rotterdam, Port of Amsterdam, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the sustainable logistics programme Lean & Green Europe.Since February 18th, cargo is specifically bundled. In practice…

Europe's logistics services provider Neele-Vat Logistics and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have signed a contract for the development of a distribution centre on the last vacant lot at the City Terminal site near Eemhaven (Heijplaat-Rotterdam).According to a press release, the logistics service provider will be using the new distribution centre for ‘cross-docking’: unloading cargo from an incoming transport unit and combining it with other cargo which is then loaded onto an outbound transport unit. The entire process takes place with next to no need for interim storage.“A number of major short sea shipping companies have told us that they see added value in a cross-dock facility.

The recently signed smart carrousel plan in the Waalhaven is expected to give breakbulk and heavy cargo companies space for further growth in Rotterdam’s Waalhaven.In the coming three-and-a-half years, 12 hectares of industrial site and 1,155 metres of quay will undergo a user change. The industrial sites and port infrastructure will also be renovated by the Port of Rotterdam Authority. The aim is to give an additional growth incentive to the Rotterdam breakbulk sector."This operation, which was carefully prepared over a long period together with the involved companies, enables us to demonstrate that we are giving the Rotterdam breakbulk sector ample space to develop"…

The Port of Rotterdam Authority and Rotterdam Polymer Hub (RPH) signed an allocation agreement regarding a site for two halls for the storage and distribution of polymers.RPH will be the first logistics node in the Rotterdam port area to focus exclusively on the storage of polymers. The project is a joint initiative of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, Euro-Rhine Group and entrepreneur Geert Van De Ven.The two halls, with a combined floor area of 35,000 m² (storage capacity 550,000 tonnes) will be erected at Maasvlakte. The selected sites are eminently suited to polymer storage thanks to the close proximity of various deep-sea container terminals…

Oosterhout Container Terminal (OCT) has now joined the West-Brabant corridor, the partnership launched in February 2018 between deep-sea terminals, inland shipping companies and inland terminals to bundle container cargo on the sailing route between Tilburg, Moerdijk and the Port of Rotterdam. The addition of OCT has resulted in an approximate thirty-percent increase in container volume on this sailing route. In practice, the partnership means that vessels consolidate cargo at different terminals in Moerdijk, Tilburg and Oosterhout for one deep-sea container terminal in Rotterdam or vice versa. Partnership on the main corridors and the bundling of cargo in the hinterland is important in achieving improved vessel capacity usage and reducing waiting times at the terminals.

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority will be working together to further optimise logistics connections between Europe’s largest port and the German hinterland. During his working visit to Rotterdam today, NRW Traffic Minister Hendrik Wüst officially launched the two parties’ talks regarding a port agreement. Prime Minister Armin Laschet of North Rhine-Westphalia had already gained a good impression of the port of Rotterdam and its relationship with the German federated state in September 2017 – on what was actually his first official foreign visit. Today it was Traffic Minister Hendrik Wüst’s turn to visit Rotterdam, to experience the size, scale and importance of solid collaboration between the sea port and NRW first-hand.