The Netherlands: Ports of Moerdijk and Rotterdam Strengthen Cooperation

The Moerdijk Port Authority and the Port of Rotterdam Authority are changing their existing incidental collaboration into a structural commercial and operational collaboration.

The aim is to strengthen the national and international competitive position of the two ports.

Hans Smits, President and CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority: “Collaboration with Moerdijk fits well in our strategy of linking the industrial complexes in particular of the two ports better and handling space more efficiently.” Ferdinand van den Oever, managing director of the Moerdijk Port Authority: “For Moerdijk the alliance with Rotterdam provides opportunities, especially in the connections to the hinterland and strengthening this satellite function in the Flemish-Dutch Delta.”

The collaboration between the two ports concentrates on sharing knowledge of market developments, the environment and sustainability, safety and shipping traffic management. Employees can also be exchanged between the two organisations for this purpose. Rotterdam will also provide Moerdijk with information (including trend development and growth expectations) to assist drawing up a long-term vision for Moerdijk, the so-called Port strategy 2030. Concrete projects include the joint drafting of a hinterland strategy, coordination of Logistics Park Moerdijk, investigation into extra pipelines between the two ports and application of the existing port community system Portbase in Moerdijk.

Rotterdam and Moerdijk already work together now. Apart from using the same seaport dues, that cooperation is mainly incidental: sometimes a customer is referred on or knowledge in a specific field of expertise is shared. The collaboration agreement now concluded will put the cooperation on a higher plane.

The port of Rotterdam covers 10,500 hectares and handled 435 million tonnes of cargo last year. Moerdijk is 2,400 hectares and handled 22 million tonnes last year. The Port of Rotterdam Authority is a non-listed public limited company. The shares are held by the municipality of Rotterdam and the Dutch State. The Moerdijk Port Authority is a joint scheme with the Province of North Brabant and the municipality of Moerdijk as participants.

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Dredging Today Staff, May 2, 2012; Image: portofrotterdam