Waalwijk has far-advanced plans for the construction of a container terminal outside the dykes on the Bergsche Maas. As a result, it should be possible to handle vessels of up to 135 metres. The call for tenders for this project is planned for May or June of this year, Port of Rotterdam said in its media release.
The current terminal, which handles about 45,000 TEU a year, is situated behind a lock, which limits the capacity of the vessels to 89 metres with a capacity of around 40 TEU per ship. It is not possible to enlarge the current lock, for technical reasons.
The costs of the new terminal are estimated at €25 million. The municipality of Waalwijk will pay part of this itself. In addition, recourse will be made to European subsidies. Entrepreneurs currently involved in container handling have promised to contribute annually via a port fund. Negotiations on a contribution are still under way with the province of Noord-Brabant. Tenders will be invited via the ‘Design, Build, Finance and Maintain’ method. This means that the costs will be spread over 25 years, including the maintenance. The financiers therefore only need to pay their contribution during the course of the contract.
