Construction of Maasvlakte 2 can begin in 2008
The Dutch Parliament voted by an overwhelming majority in favor of the construction of Maasvlakte 2, the new port district of Rotterdam. This gives the green light to the next phase: in 2007 a number of spatial planning and licensing procedures must be completed before actual construction can get underway in 2008.
The three biggest political parties (Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and the Liberals) and a number of small parties voted by a large majority for the reinstated Key Planning Decision and the agreements reached earlier on responsibility for and funding of the 2000-hectare land reclamation project. Only two left wing parties, with together 16 of the 150 seats in parliament, voted against the project. The Port of Rotterdam Authority had urged the government and parliament to settle the matter before the parliamentary elections of 22 November so as to maintain the current momentum in preparations.
A parliamentary majority also supported the proposal to construct the outer contour of Maasvlakte 2 in a single operation. This is an attractive option, both for environmental and financial reasons. It had been proposed earlier moving these sea defenses further out to sea in phases, in response to the need for industrial space. However, no-one in Rotterdam is concerned about market demand for space, so that the construction of the definitive sea defenses in a single operation is justified.
European legislation on air quality that came into force in 2005 has placed extra pressure on preparations for the Maasvlakte 2 project during the past eighteen months. In fact, air quality standards are at present being exceeded at some locations in the Rotterdam region. Maasvlakte 2 will mean extra traffic and could therefore cause these limits to be exceeded even further. Before the subject of Maasvlakte 2 was debated in parliament, the Ministers of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (V&W) and Housing, Spatial Planning & the Environment (VROM) had announced a package of measures that could be introduced in phases if necessary to improve air quality in the region to such an extent that, when Maasvlakte 2 is in use, air quality in the region will not get any worse. The package includes an incentive scheme for cleaner engines for inland vessels and dynamic traffic management for road transport and inland shipping. Incidentally, we have observed a changing trend for a number of years now: whereas economic activity and traffic is increasing, the air in the Rotterdam region is becoming increasingly cleaner.
Now that parliament has taken the ‘go’ decision this week, the Maasvlakte 2 project is in fact no longer on the national political agenda. It is now up to the Port Authority and local, regional and national authorities to continue preparations for the land reclamation. The Environmental Impact Reports for the construction and use of Maasvlakte 2 will be completed around the turn of the year, after which the zoning plan will then go through all the usual subsequent procedures. Minister Peijs of Transport, Public Works and Water Management did however announce during the parliamentary debate that she would do whatever was necessary and possible to accelerate these procedures.
Two construction consortia are currently competing for the construction of Maasvlakte 2: Boskalis - Van Oord of the Netherlands and Jan de Nul - Dredging International of Belgium. The Port Authority expects to conclude a contract with one of these consortia in mid-2007. A contract was concluded with APM Terminals last spring for a container terminal which will eventually cover 167 hectares. In addition, there is currently an open tender process in progress for a 138-hectare container terminal, for which five consortia of shipping companies and stevedores are competing. They are required to submit their final tenders in mid-October. Here too, the Port Authority expects to conclude a contract in mid-2007 and this terminal will be the first to be put into use. The schedule is for the actual construction of Maasvlakte 2 to begin in 2008 so that the first ship can dock at the quayside in 2013.
The three biggest political parties (Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and the Liberals) and a number of small parties voted by a large majority for the reinstated Key Planning Decision and the agreements reached earlier on responsibility for and funding of the 2000-hectare land reclamation project. Only two left wing parties, with together 16 of the 150 seats in parliament, voted against the project. The Port of Rotterdam Authority had urged the government and parliament to settle the matter before the parliamentary elections of 22 November so as to maintain the current momentum in preparations.
A parliamentary majority also supported the proposal to construct the outer contour of Maasvlakte 2 in a single operation. This is an attractive option, both for environmental and financial reasons. It had been proposed earlier moving these sea defenses further out to sea in phases, in response to the need for industrial space. However, no-one in Rotterdam is concerned about market demand for space, so that the construction of the definitive sea defenses in a single operation is justified.
European legislation on air quality that came into force in 2005 has placed extra pressure on preparations for the Maasvlakte 2 project during the past eighteen months. In fact, air quality standards are at present being exceeded at some locations in the Rotterdam region. Maasvlakte 2 will mean extra traffic and could therefore cause these limits to be exceeded even further. Before the subject of Maasvlakte 2 was debated in parliament, the Ministers of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (V&W) and Housing, Spatial Planning & the Environment (VROM) had announced a package of measures that could be introduced in phases if necessary to improve air quality in the region to such an extent that, when Maasvlakte 2 is in use, air quality in the region will not get any worse. The package includes an incentive scheme for cleaner engines for inland vessels and dynamic traffic management for road transport and inland shipping. Incidentally, we have observed a changing trend for a number of years now: whereas economic activity and traffic is increasing, the air in the Rotterdam region is becoming increasingly cleaner.
Now that parliament has taken the ‘go’ decision this week, the Maasvlakte 2 project is in fact no longer on the national political agenda. It is now up to the Port Authority and local, regional and national authorities to continue preparations for the land reclamation. The Environmental Impact Reports for the construction and use of Maasvlakte 2 will be completed around the turn of the year, after which the zoning plan will then go through all the usual subsequent procedures. Minister Peijs of Transport, Public Works and Water Management did however announce during the parliamentary debate that she would do whatever was necessary and possible to accelerate these procedures.
Two construction consortia are currently competing for the construction of Maasvlakte 2: Boskalis - Van Oord of the Netherlands and Jan de Nul - Dredging International of Belgium. The Port Authority expects to conclude a contract with one of these consortia in mid-2007. A contract was concluded with APM Terminals last spring for a container terminal which will eventually cover 167 hectares. In addition, there is currently an open tender process in progress for a 138-hectare container terminal, for which five consortia of shipping companies and stevedores are competing. They are required to submit their final tenders in mid-October. Here too, the Port Authority expects to conclude a contract in mid-2007 and this terminal will be the first to be put into use. The schedule is for the actual construction of Maasvlakte 2 to begin in 2008 so that the first ship can dock at the quayside in 2013.