Maasvlakte

The Maasvlakte (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmaːsˌflɑktə]) is part of Europoort, a harbour and industrial area near the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Creation

It was created in the 1960s by reclaiming land from the North Sea through dykes and sand suppletion. The sand for the suppletion was largely taken from the North Sea and the Lake of Oostvoorne. This lake was created by the construction of the Maasvlakte. Fossils were (and can still be) found in the sand.

Before the completion of the Maasvlakte it was a sandbank which was hazardous to shipping.

In September 2008 work started on the "Second Maasvlakte" or Maasvlakte 2: the existing area is being expanded with the intention of opening the new harbours in the Maasvlakte 2 for commercial use in 2013. By spraying sand in the North Sea the project extends the port of Rotterdam by some 2,000 hectares

Sections

Bulk Handling

In 1973 EMO started as the first company at Maasvlakte. They are the biggest bulk terminal in western Europe and are located at the Mississippihaven. In 1989 Frans Swarttouw started building a deep water terminal at the Amazonhaven which, in 1990, was sold to EMO.

Maasvlakte 2

Maasvlakte 2 is a major civil engineering project in the Netherlands, constructing a new port and supporting infrastructure on reclaimed land adjoining the Maasvlakte. Approximately 2000 hectares will be reclaimed, behind a 4 km dike; approximately 1000 hectares will be used by ports related industries. It is an extension of the Port of Rotterdam.

Maasvlakte 2 is the biggest civil engineering project in the Netherlands since the Delta Works. The area opened on 22 May 2013.

Container terminal operators APM Terminals and Rotterdam World Gateway began construction of their terminals in 2012. The APM terminal opened in April 2015. Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) is the main competitor for European Container Terminals (ECT), currently the biggest operator of a container terminal in Rotterdam. RWG's terminal includes a 20-meter deep dock and its own railroad station, and would be capable of handling 2.35 million containers annually.

The eurogeul was widened in anticipation of increased traffic.