APM Terminals (APMT) has announced an expansion project of its Maasvlakte II terminal in Rotterdam, worth over €1 billion ($1.1 billion).
The project involves a site of approximately 47.5 hectares with 1,000 metres of deep-sea quay.
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is now constructing the new quay walls, which will be completed by mid-2024.
The expansion will increase the terminal’s capacity by approximately 2 million TEU and the new section is expected to be operational in the second half of 2026.
APMT opened at Maasvlakte II in 2015 as a fully automated facility with zero carbon emissions.
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The additional section of the terminal will also operate with net-zero emissions and be fully automated and prepared for shore power installation.
With this announcement for Maasvlakte II, all the remaining vacant sites for APMT in the Amaliahaven area of the port have now been leased for expansion projects.
In addition to the new terminal site, an empty depot of around 16 hectares will also be built for Star Container Services – a subsidiary of Maersk – in the area immediately alongside APMT Maasvlakte II.
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“This additional terminal capacity is much needed to continue handling the increasing container volumes in the coming years in an efficient and sustainable way,” said Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.
This announcement comes a few weeks after APMT announced significant investments to modernise Georgia’s largest port’s infrastructure.
The port’s most recent purchase of two, 40 cubic metres hydraulic bulk discharge hoppers will reportedly allow bulk cargo to be discharged more efficiently, with minimal dust or cargo loss.