RWG begins construction at Maasvlakte 2

The 108 hectare site, which will have a quay wall of 1,150m, quayside depth of 20m and a 550m quay specifically designed for barges, was built by the Port of Rotterdam. The terminal will open in the second half of 2014.

RWG will, it has been claimed, be one of the most modern and environmentally friendly transhipment centres in the world. It will be able to handle the next generation of ultra large container ships and the terminal will be fully equipped and synchronised to handle transhipments via intermodal transhipment. Many containers will therefore continue their journey into the hinterland of Europe by barge or rail transport, which will ease road traffic congestion and keep environmental emissions to a minimum, thereby complying with sustainable transport agreements with the Dutch government.

The total of 14 container handling cranes are being supplied for the new terminal by ZPMC in China. Horizontal transport of the containers from the quayside to the stack will be carried out by 59 computer controlled Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs). The stack will be equipped with 32 conventional, automatic stacking cranes and 16 automatic cantilever cranes. The AGVs and the stacking and cantilever cranes are being supplied by Gottwald. The terminal surface, underground infrastructure and the power supply are being constructed by the BAVO Gateway consortium, which is a joint venture between Koninklijke BAM Groep and VolkerWessels. The buildings on the site will be constructed by Cordeel Nederland.