Port of Rotterdam
| Port of Rotterdam | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Location | Rotterdam |
| Coordinates | 51°53′06″N 4°17′12″E / 51.8850°N 4.2867°E |
| Details | |
| Opened | 14th century |
| Size of harbor | 5,257 ha (12,990 acres) |
| Land area | 5,299 ha (13,090 acres) |
| Size | 10,556 ha (26,080 acres) |
| Employees | 180,000 (2016) |
| Chief Executive Officer | Allard Castelein |
| Statistics | |
| Vessel arrivals |
 36,315 sea ships (2008) |
| Annual cargo tonnage |
 441.5 million tonnes (2012) |
| Annual container volume |
 11.87 million TEU (2011) |
| Annual revenue |
€ 525 million (2008) |
| Net income |
€ 151 million (2008) |
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Website www.portofrotterdam.com |
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The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe, located in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. From 1962 until 2004 it was the world's busiest port, now overtaken first by Singapore and then Shanghai. In 2011, Rotterdam was the world's eleventh-largest container port in terms of twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) handled (2009: tenth; 2008: ninth, 2006: sixth). In 2012 Rotterdam was the world's sixth-largest port in terms of annual cargo tonnage.
Covering 105 square kilometres (41 sq mi), the port of Rotterdam now stretches over a distance of 40 kilometres (25 mi). It consists of the city centre's historic harbour area, including Delfshaven; the Maashaven/Rijnhaven/Feijenoord complex; the harbours around Nieuw-Mathenesse; Waalhaven; Vondelingenplaat; Eemhaven; Botlek; Europoort, situated along the Calandkanaal, Nieuwe Waterweg and Scheur (the latter two being continuations of the Nieuwe Maas); and the reclaimed Maasvlakte area, which projects into the North Sea.
Rotterdam consists of five distinct port areas and three distribution parks that facilitate the needs of a hinterland with 40,000,000 consumers.
In the first half of the 20th century the port activities moved from the centre westward towards the North Sea. To improve the connection to the North Sea, the Nieuwe Waterweg ("New Waterway"), a large canal, was designed to connect the Rhine and Meuse rivers to the sea. The Nieuwe Waterweg was designed to be partly dug, then to further deepen the canal bed by the natural flow of the water. Ultimately however, the last part had to be dug by manual labour as well. Nevertheless, Rotterdam from then on had a direct connection between the sea and harbour areas with sufficient depth. The Nieuwe Waterweg has since been deepened several times. The Nieuwe Waterweg was ready in 1872 and all sorts of industrial activity formed on the banks of this canal.
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Wikipedia