rotterdam worldportworldcity

In order for the port of Rotterdam to develop, it is crucial to attract good-flows and industrial activity. The port of Rotterdam competes with other ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre (HLH) range in attracting such flows. These ports all serve the hinterland of Northwestern Europe. A few of them are also major transshipment ports for good-flows to and from the United Kingdom and Ireland, as well as the Scandinavian and Baltic ports. Rotterdam occupies an increasingly important position in this area. We distinguish nine market segments, divided between throughput and industry.

Throughput
The competition varies strongly from segment to segment. In the container segment, Antwerp and Hamburg are the main competitors, whereas in the coal segment it is Amsterdam, and for crude oil Le Havre and Wilhelmshaven.

Industry
For the chemical sector, the competition is worldwide. Antwerp is the main competitor in Northwestern Europe, but both chemical complexes are complementary. Together they form the largest chemical complex in Europe. Major factors in the competitive battle are their deep-water location, world-class terminals, the availability of space, good access due to a range of hinterland connections (roads, inland waterways, railways and pipelines), the quality of service, costs and an attractive business and living climate.