Friday, May 24, 2013

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Port of Rotterdam opens $2B extension

Rotterdam, Europe’s busiest port, opened its $2 billion extension this week, with broader, deeper channels to accommodate ultra large container vessels.

The first stage of the extension has been completed at a cost of $2 billion, $193 million under budget, according to project director Rene van der Plas.

“This means more space for big new sea containers, space for new beautiful terminals and 2,000 hectares for Rotterdam," said Infrastructure and Environment Minister Melanie Shultz van Haegen. "It also means thousands of direct and indirect jobs. I'm unbelievably proud of this," she said as she officially opened the port extension.

The overall project will cost around $3.8 billion, The development includes a two-mile hard seawall built with seven million tons of stone and 20,000 concrete blocks to resist the North Sea's relentless onslaught at the Port of Rotterdam, the world's fourth-largest harbor.

Engineers have now completed the initial stage of a vast harbor network by moving 240 million cubic meters of sand, said a port statement.

By 2033, when its four deep-water basins are fully operational, the new addition will nearly double the port's current capacity of 19 million TEUS per year to 36 million.

For more of the AFP story: google.com

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