DP World to manage Maasvlakte 2 terminal for consortium partners
A consortium comprising global terminal operator Dubai Ports World and four major global shipping lines — French carrier CMA CGM and New World Alliance carriers MOL, Hyundai Merchant Marine and APL — has been awarded the right to equip and operate the first terminal in the 16 million-TEU Maasvlakte 2 development in the Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s busiest container complex.
No financial details were disclosed, but the Port of Rotterdam Authority said a total of 14 shipping and stevedoring companies applied for the 156-ha terminal.
'Several factors were weighed up in the process, from finance to sustainability. We have achieved an excellent result with this method of inviting proposals. We are extremely pleased with this winner,' said Hans Smits, the port authority chief executive officer.
The winning consortium will run a terminal with a capacity of about 4 million TEUs from its operational start date in 2013. The terminal will have a 1,900-meter-long (6,234 feet) deep sea quay with a depth of 20 meters (65.6 feet), and a 550-meter (1,804 feet) quay for inland shipping and feeder vessels. It will also have its own rail terminal with a connection to the newly opened Betuweroute railroad into Germany’s hinterland.
Mohammed Sharaf, DP World CEO, said: “Congestion is a very real issue in Europe and this will be an important facility to help relieve the pressure for importers and exporters alike. Having been selected by our consortium partners to manage the operations of the terminal, we believe that our global experience and expertise will contribute significantly to the benefit of all stakeholders in the terminal.”
APM Terminals, part of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, will move into its own 4.5 million-TEU terminal at Maasvlakte 2, acquired last summer, shortly after DP World and its partners. In total, about 40 percent of Maasvlakte 2 has already been allocated, the port authority said.
