APM Terminals plans expansion of Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte II terminal

APM Terminals, part of Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller – Maersk, has revealed its plans to expand the Maasvlakte II terminal at the Port of Rotterdam.

The Port of Rotterdam Authority is now constructing the new quay walls, which will be completed by mid-2024.

The project involves a site of approximately 47.5 hectares with 1,000 metres of deep-sea quay.

The expansion will increase the terminal’s capacity by approx. 2 million TEU and the new section is expected to be operational in the second half of 2026.

“We are very pleased with APM Terminals’ decision to expand the terminal and to choose Rotterdam as the hub for its Western European operations. This additional terminal capacity is much needed to continue handling the increasing container volumes in the coming years in an efficient and sustainable way,” Allard Castelein, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said.

“Our decision to invest further and expand in Maasvlakte II is a confirmation of Rotterdam’s importance for global supply chains and for our global network. We look forward to this important project and the opportunities it will unlock,” Keith Svendsen, CEO of APM Terminals commented.

Last year, 18.5 hectares of land in the same area were already leased to A.P. Moller – Maersk for the development of cross-dock and cold store facilities which will open during 2024. The facilities will provide ‘on-dock’ services for Maersk, which is one of the terminal’s main shipping-line customers.

APM Terminals opened at Maasvlakte II in 2015 as a fully automated facility with zero carbon emissions. The additional section of the terminal will also operate with net-zero emissions and be fully automated and prepared for shore power installation.

In addition to the new terminal site, an empty depot of around 16 hectares will also be built for Star Container Services – a subsidiary of A.P. Moller – Maersk – in the area immediately alongside APM Terminals Maasvlakte II.

With this announcement for Maasvlakte II, all the remaining vacant sites for APM Terminals in the Amaliahaven area of the port have now been leased for expansion projects.

Last year, APM Terminals announced its plans to bring forward its net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emission target to 2040, a decade ahead of its initial 2050 ambition.

A 70% reduction in total emissions has been set as an interim milestone for the period 2020-2030.

This is said to be the most ambitious target set by any terminal operator to date.

The commitment builds upon the company’s existing strategic approach to decarbonisation and recent investment in a full suite of solutions to reduce its carbon footprint.

As part of its zero-emission efforts, the terminal operator teamed up with Jordan-backed Aqaba Development Cooperation (ADC). The partners signed a memorandum of understanding for a 15-year extension of their partnership in the Aqaba Container Terminal (ACT), paving the way for making the facility zero emission.