Maasvlakte
Encyclopedia
The Maasvlakte is part of Europoort
, a harbour
and industrial area
near the city of Rotterdam
in the Netherlands
.
through dykes and sand suppletion. The sand for the suppletion was largely taken from the North Sea and the Lake of Oostvoorne
. This lake was created by the construction of the Maasvlakte. Fossils were (and can still be) found in the sand.
Before the completion of the Maasvlakte it was a sandbank which was hazardous to shipping.
(HPH)] and Euromax are three big container terminals located here. They can all accommodate the world's largest ships.
, DHL
and Kloosterboer companies. The Reebok Distribution Centre takes care of the distribution of shoes and apparel for entire Europe. Kloosterboer stores mostly fries from the nearby Farm Frites company.
which runs right into Germany ends on the Maasvlakte as well.
The Maasvlakte is also the starting point of the Betuweroute
freight railway to Germany.
. Maasvlakte 2 will cover 1000 hectares net of industrial sites, located directly on deep water.
Europoort
Europoort is an area of the Port of Rotterdam and the adjoining industrial area in the Netherlands. Being situated at the mouth of the rivers Rhine and Meuse with the hinterland consisting of the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and partly France, Europoort is by certain measurements the world's...
, a harbour
Port of Rotterdam
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 by first Shanghai and then Singapore...
and industrial area
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
near the city of Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Creation
It was created in the 1960s by reclaiming land from the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
through dykes and sand suppletion. The sand for the suppletion was largely taken from the North Sea and the Lake of Oostvoorne
Oostvoorne
Oostvoorne is a town in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westvoorne, and lies about 9 km north of Hellevoetsluis....
. This lake was created by the construction of the Maasvlakte. Fossils were (and can still be) found in the sand.
Before the completion of the Maasvlakte it was a sandbank which was hazardous to shipping.
Bulk Handling
In 1973 EMO started as first company at Maasvlakte, they are the biggest bulk terminal in western Europe located at the Mississippi-haven. In 1989 Frans Swarttouw start building a deepwaterterminal at the Amazonehaven in 1990 it was sold to EMO.Container terminals
The Maasvlakte features various big companies and some smaller ones. Maersk, Europe Container Terminals (ECT) [a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings groupHutchison Whampoa
Hutchison Whampoa Limited or HWL of Hong Kong is a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. HWL is an international corporation with a diverse array of holdings which includes the world's biggest port and telecommunication operations in 14...
(HPH)] and Euromax are three big container terminals located here. They can all accommodate the world's largest ships.
Distribution centers
A special section has been reserved for big distribution centres, the Rotterdam Distribution Centre. The biggest are by the ReebokReebok
Reebok International Limited, a subsidiary of the German sportswear company Adidas since 2005, is a producer of Athletic shoes, apparel, and accessories. The name comes from the Afrikaans spelling of rhebok, a type of African antelope or gazelle...
, DHL
DHL
DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
and Kloosterboer companies. The Reebok Distribution Centre takes care of the distribution of shoes and apparel for entire Europe. Kloosterboer stores mostly fries from the nearby Farm Frites company.
Slufter
On one side of the Maasvlakte is the Slufter. Inside the Slufter, a very deep pit shielded from the surrounding areas, toxic waste and polluted sand is stored. When it is filled it will be covered and left there. It was expected to be fully filled around the year 2000, but by now it is only about 50% filled.Connections
There are direct train lines with entire Europe, mostly Germany. Also the rivers Rhine and Maas enter the sea next to it. This creates good connections using smaller river ships. The highway A15A15 motorway (Netherlands)
The Dutch Rijksweg 15 is a set of two motorways in the Netherlands, the A15 and the A18. The map on the right-hand side shows these two parts of this Rijksweg 15.- Connection between A15 and A18 :...
which runs right into Germany ends on the Maasvlakte as well.
The Maasvlakte is also the starting point of the Betuweroute
Betuweroute
The Betuweroute is a double track freight railway from Rotterdam to Germany. Betuweroute is the official name, after the Betuwe area through which it passes, but the line is popularly referred to as Betuwelijn, after an older track in the same region. The Germans have named their part the...
freight railway to Germany.
Maasvlakte 2
Maasvlakte is in 2010 and 2011 extended with Maasvlakte 2Maasvlakte 2
Maasvlakte 2 is a major civil engineering project in the Netherlands, constructing a new port and supporting infrastructure on reclaimed land adjoining the Maasvlakte. Approximately 2000 hectares will be reclaimed, behind a 4 km dike; approximately 1000 hectares will be used by ports related...
. Maasvlakte 2 will cover 1000 hectares net of industrial sites, located directly on deep water.