The Port of Rotterdam

The WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge has the very fluid theme of Liquid, which is right up my alley, as the Netherlands is all about water!

Staying with the Dutch theme from my prior post in this WPC theme, I’m focusing on the city where I was born: Rotterdam.  Rotterdam is very much a port city in its character, as trade is the life-blood of its economy; it is the largest port in Europe.

A key part of the success of the port of Rotterdam is the digging of the Nieuwe Waterweg. In the first half of the 19th century the port activities moved from the centre westward towards the North Sea. To improve the connection to the North Sea, the Nieuwe Waterweg (“New Waterway”), a large canal, was designed to connect the Rhine and Meuse rivers to the sea. The Nieuwe Waterweg was designed to be partly dug, then to further deepen the canal bed by the natural flow of the water. Ultimately however, the last part had to be dug by manual labour as well. Nevertheless, Rotterdam from then on had a direct connection between the sea and harbor areas with sufficient depth. The Nieuwe Waterweg has since been deepened several times. It was ready in 1872 and all sorts of industrial activity formed on the banks of this canal.

In this image, we see the Meuse river in the center of Rotterdam, with a water taxi speeding along.  Most of the ports are downstream from this location, which is to the right in the image.  Each of the port areas specialize in certain cargo types, such as containers, crude oil, refined fuels, bulk supplies, etc.

If you get the chance to visit Rotterdam, I recommend that you take a harbor tour with one of the Speedo ships; these tours are both enjoyable and informative!

Have a wonderful day!