The Netherlands: New Quay for UWT Container Centre

United Waalhaven Terminals (UWT) and the Port of Rotterdam Authority have reached agreement on the construction of a new quay on Bunschotenweg.

The quay will be dug on the Johan Friso Haven and will be able to accommodate short sea vessels as well as inland vessels with a draught of 7 metres and a length of 135 metres. The quay is designed primarily for handling empty containers, but can also be used for full ones. The quay will enable UWT to cope easily with the increasing modal shift from truck to inland shipping. The firm expects that around 40% of all empty container movements will ultimately be made through inland shipping.

Restructuring

The construction of the quay is part of a total restructuring of Bunschotenweg. At the moment, UWT is putting the final touches to a new planning programme for handling trucks. The aims here are to speed up the flow of traffic and to reduce the pressure on public roads. The new quay will also provide more opportunities for combining full and empty containers. This is particularly important for inland shipping to and from the Maasvlakte. Having to make one stop less will yield an average time saving of 45 minutes for the trucks.

The tendering process for construction of the quay starts in October 2013 and completion is planned for the third quarter of 2015. Until then, the existing quays in the 1st Eemhaven (In photo: off UCFS) will remain in use.

United Container Freight Station

United Waalhaven Terminals has also taken over the 50% interest in United Container Freight Station (UCFS) from the ECB Group. UCFS operates approx. 20,000 m² of warehouse space and outdoor storage on Bunschotenweg. The parties intend to transport containers to and from UCFS solely by inland shipping. Ultimately, that will not only yield a cost advantage, but also relieve the A15 motor- way and reduce CO2 emissions.

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Source: portofrotterdam, June 26, 2013; Image: waalhaven-group