RWG (Rotterdam World Gateway bv) has started the construction of the first phase of its container terminal at Maasvlakte 2 in the Port of Rotterdam. The 108 hectare site, with a 1,150 metre long deep sea quay, a quay depth of 20 metres and a 550 metre long barge feeder have already being constructed by the Rotterdam Port Authority [Havenbedrijf Rotterdam]. RWG is now going to continue fitting out the terminal and making it ready for the transshipment of hundreds of thousands of containers per year. The terminal is going to be opened in the second half of 2014.
Environment
The terminal is going to be one of the most modern and environmentally-friendly transshipment plants in the world and will make it possible to handle the new generation of ultra large container vessels. RWG is going to be fully equipped for intermodal transshipment handling. In other words everything will revolve around ensuring that as many containers as possible can make their way to the rest of Europe by barge and rail, thereby ensuring compliance with the agreements made with the government about the sustainable distribution of goods.
Automatic
All 14 quay cranes are to be supplied by the Chinese company ZPMC, which is based in Shanghai. The containers will be transported horizontally, from the quay to the temporary storage area (stack), by 59 computer-controlled vehicles with lifting platforms. These AGVs are electrically powered.
The temporary storage area at the terminal is to be equipped with 32 conventional automatic stacking cranes and 16 automatic cantilever cranes. Both the AGVs and the stacking and cantilever cranes are to be supplied by Gottwald GmBH, which is based in Düsseldorf in Germany. The roads and underground infrastructure, as well as the power supply, are to be constructed by the BAVO Gateway v.o.f. consortium of Koninklijke BAM Groep and VolkerWessels. The buildings on the site are to be built by Cordeel Nederland. The total investment for the terminal, which is going to open in the autumn of 2014, amounts to approximately € 700 million.
Flawless
“The start of the work means RWG has reached another milestone. After several years of preparation, the work can now actually start. We have every confidence in this innovative terminal being able to make a significant contribution, from the moment it opens, to the further development of Rotterdam as a Mainport for Northwest Europe”, explains Peter Jongepier, chairman of the RWG board. According to Frank Keizer, who is an RWG project director and therefore responsible for the terminal’s construction, RWG is now taking over from the Rotterdam Port Authority [HAVENBEDRIJF ROTTERDAM] at Maasvlakte 2. “We watched the flawless construction of Maasvlakte 2 with admiration and our aim is for the construction of the container terminal to be just as flawless”, Frank Keizer adds.
RWG
Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) is a partnership of 4 globally operating container shipping companies – APL, MOL, HMM and CMA-CGM – and one of the largest container terminal operators in the world. As soon as the terminal is completed in 2014, DP World will take responsibility for its daily operational management. The transshipment capacity of the first phase will be 2.35 million TEU.
De Fuijk M&C
My role in this project is to ensure, as Technical Manager for BAVO Gateway, that the engineering work goes smoothly throughout the project. The scope (D&C in combination with the UAV-GC 2005) concerns everything from the 66 kV installation to the low-voltage systems.