One of the world’s leading container terminal operators, APM Terminals, part of A.P. Moller – Maersk, has announced the expansion of its Maasvlakte II terminal in Rotterdam. 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 approx. 2 million TEU  and the new section is expected to be operational in the second half of 2026.

APM Terminals opened at Maasvlakte II in 2015 as a fully automated facility with zero carbon emissions. The additional section of the terminal will also operate with net-zero emissions and be fully automated and prepared for shore power installation.

Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority: “We are very pleased with APM Terminals’ decision to expand the terminal and to choose Rotterdam as the hub for its Western European operations. This additional terminal capacity is much needed to continue handling the increasing container volumes in the coming years in an efficient and sustainable way.”

Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals, commented: “Our decision to invest further and expand in Maasvlakte II is a confirmation of Rotterdam’s importance for global supply chains and for our global network. We look forward to this important project and the opportunities it will unlock.”

Last year, 18.5 hectares of land in the same area were already leased to A.P. Moller – Maersk for the development of cross-dock and cold store facilities which will open during 2024. The facilities will provide ‘on-dock’ services for Maersk, which is one of the terminal’s main shipping-line customers.

to the new terminal site, an empty depot of around 16 hectares will also be built for Star Container Services – a subsidiary of A.P. Moller – Maersk – in the area immediately alongside APM Terminals Maasvlakte II.

With this announcement for Maasvlakte II, all the remaining vacant sites for APM Terminals in the Amaliahaven area of the port have now been leased for expansion projects.

Port of Rotterdam Authority

The aim of the Port of Rotterdam Authority is to strengthen the competitive position of the port of Rotterdam as a logistics hub and a world-class industrial complex in terms of both size and quality. The Port Authority is able and willing to make an impact and so it is focusing on accelerating sustainability in the port and

it is a partner in the digitalisation of the port and logistics chains. The Port Authority’s core tasks are the sustainable development, management and operation of the port, the maintenance of the smooth and safe handling of shipping and supporting the future-resilience of the port of Rotterdam.

Facts and figures for the Port of Rotterdam Authority and the port of Rotterdam

• Port of Rotterdam Authority: approximately 1,300 employees, revenue approximately €825 million and €257 million gross investments. www.portofrotterdam.com
• Port area: 12,500 hectares (land & water, including approximately 6,000 hectares of industrial sites). The port area is more than 40 kilometres long.
• Goods throughput: approximately 467 million tonnes of goods a year.
• Shipping: approximately 30,000 seagoing vessels and 100,000 inland vessels annually.
• Employment: (direct and indirect) 565,000 jobs in the Netherlands.
• Added value: €63 billion, 8.2% of Dutch GDP.