Strengths of Rotterdam
Rotterdam mainport containersSince the beginning of container shipping Rotterdam is the major container port of Europe and a leading Container Worldport. Rotterdam is the mainport of European container transport. With an average of about 10 million TEU passing through the port each year, Rotterdam by far outstrips all the other ports in Europe.
The port of Rotterdam owes its position as European container mainport to a great number of facilities, such as:
- excellent accessibility and nautical safety: no locks, bridges or tidal restrictions
- dedicated terminal facilities
- continuous operations: 24 hours per day, all year round
- immediate start of operations upon ships’s arrival
- fast turnaround times
- round the clock delivering and receiving of containers
- European transport hub functions
- excellent hinterland functions, especially via short sea/feeder, inland barges and rail
- attractive port for bunkering as a result of competitive tariffs
- additional logistic services/distribution centers
- a lot of Empty Depots for containers
- Coldstored and Auctions
- EDI-services a.o. for Custom-house services
The port of Rotterdam has no draft limitations and can accommodate all kind of container vessels 24 hours per day and seven days per week. Many deep sea shipping lines select Rotterdam as their first and/or last port of call in Europe. And use it as their feedering hub for the United Kingdom, the Baltic and the Iberean peninsula. Efficient interfaces with all important modalities ensure effective hinterland transport.
European distribution
Rotterdam is more than just a link in the logistic chain. The intercontinental services of almost all major mega-carriers include Rotterdam. For many container shipping lines, the port of Rotterdam is both the first and last port of call in Europe. And in addition Rotterdam offers a tailor-made approach for all containerized cargo. Whether it’s pre-transport or post-transport, the handling of Custom-house formalities or the process of cargo in the distribution centers …. a comprehensive range of spezialized government organisations and service providers is facilitating your containers.
Connections and Liner Services
Rotterdam European hub for container traffic
The port of Rotterdam is the European hub for container traffic. Rotterdam’s strengths are its strategic location in relation to the European hinterland, open link with the North Sea, deep access waterways and good hinterland connections. Combined with the many high quality of services available, these form the basis for Rotterdam’s unique position as the most important mainport in Europe.
Modalities
All destinations in Europe are within quick and easy reach of Rotterdam. Containers can be transported by truck, train, barge and Short Sea/Feeder vessel. Rotterdam is the intermodal transport centre for Europe. Transport solutions are offered for every type of cargo, every volume, every speed and every tariff.
Liner Services worldwide
More than 500 scheduled liner services connect the port of Rotterdam with over 1.000 ports worldwide. Many of the global container liner services only call at a limited number of European ports. Rotterdam is one of these, often as first and/or last port of call in Europe.
Short Sea / Feeder
From and to the port of Rotterdam Short Sea and Feeder ships carry the containers by sea to and from smaller ports Rotterdam has a huge number of regular short sea and feeder services to and from more than 200 European ports, and the number of destinations is still increasing. This results in a high number of departures to various destinations. Many destinations, including the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, the Baltic, the Iberian peninsula and countries around the Mediterranean are even served on a daily basis. Transit times are short, just 24 hours, and to the UK even shorter. For destinations that are further away, such as Egypt, Turkey and Greece the transit time requires more time.
Hinterland connections
Rotterdam, the ideal port of entry to the European market
Access to the industrial centers of Europe via Rotterdam is excellent. The port of Rotterdam is offering services to a hinterland of more than 150 million consumers living within a radius of 500 km of Rotterdam, and 500 million consumers all of over Europe. This is a gigantic market for containers, which is accessible from Rotterdam via 4 competing modalities: road, rail, inland shipping and Short Sea/Feeder shipping. Containers which arrive in a morning can be in, for example, Germany, Belgium or France the same afternoon. From Rotterdam all major industrial and economic centers in Western Europe can be reached in less than 24 hours. 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 barge is possible to destinations in The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria. This mode of transport is used already since more than 35 years. A number of inland barge companies is offering regular sailings to more than 40 inland ports. About 30% of all containers in Rotterdam are shipped by inland barges. The Betuwe Route railway is the new, 160-kilometre long goods-railway that links Rotterdam directly with Germany. It is expected that railway-transport of containers will grow from 10 to 20% in the coming years.
