Port of Rotterdam is now able to accommodate larger ships, as on Saturday, April 20, the Delta Mariner arrived at Koole. The tanker is the first ever ship of 15 metres arriving at the area. Therefore, the vessel’s arrival reflects the opening of the deepened Nieuwe Waterweg.
After the salvaging of a wrecked vessel, Rijkswaterstaat and the Port of Rotterdam Authority will remove pipes at three locations and the floor of the Nieuwe Waterweg and Botlek will be completed.
As the Minster Cora van Nieuwenhuizen commented
With this floor we are opening the ports of Rotterdam port even further for a new generation of seagoing vessels. Together with the Port Authority we are investing in the maritime accessibility of the Botlek area in our mainport Rotterdam.
Moreover, John Kraakman, CEO Koole Terminal stated that the deepening of the port will enable them to better-serve the customers at the terminals.
In addition, the dredging project will provide improvements on the logistic sector as fewer ship movements are required.
The carbon food print in the logistics chain and the competitive strength of our customers improve due to lower logistics costs in the total chain.
… John Kraakman highlighted.
In the meantime, Ronald Paul, COO of the Port Authority addressed that the deepening of the port is to improve the competitive position the port has and will also modernize the Botlek. T
The Nieuwe Waterweg is the last part of the connection between Rotterdam and the sea and was constructed in 1872 under the direction of Ir. Pieter Caland.
The length of the excavation of the dunes at what is now called Hoek van Holland was 4.3 km at the time.
The Nieuwe Waterweg is struggling with a complex flow. The channel is under the influence of ebb and flow, inland current and current to the sea.
That is why the Nieuwe Waterweg must be artificially kept at depth. The waterway was deepened over a length of 25 kilometers, from Hoek van Holland to the Benelux tunnel.
