Port of Rotterdam outlines new bulk terminal plans

Port of Rotterdam outlines new bulk terminal plans    The Port of Rotterdam Authority this week presented its plans for a new dry bulk terminal at the Industrial Minerals trade fair in Athens, Greece.
   According to the plans, the 12-hectare terminal would be situated in the 'Hartelstrook' on the Maasvlakte and is expected to come into operation in the second half of 2010. About one-third of this location, which was created in part through land reclamation, will be reserved for a dry dock terminal. The new terminal will have 600 meters of quay and a maximum draft of 16 meters. The Dutch port authority said a rail connection is also a possibility, with the Betuwe Route, a dedicated freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany started last year, running alongside.
   The Port of Rotterdam Authority is in negotiations with Van Uden Stevedoring to operate the new terminal. Van Uden has a terminal at the Merwehaven, an area of the port earmarked for future urban development.
   Rotterdam last year became the first European port to pass the 400 million-ton cargo barrier, and is the largest port in Europe for the import of iron ore and coal. The port's annual dry bulk volume rose 3.3 percent to 90.7 million tons, with imports up 3.7 percent to 82.4 million tons and exports down 1.1 percent at 8.3 million tons.