By far the largest number of reefer points, almost 11,000, can be found at the six main sea terminals. The other 1,000 are distributed over specialised inland shipping terminals (300) and depots for container storage (800).

Sea terminals
About 70% of the connections at the sea terminals are concentrated at the three terminals on the Maasvlakte, although the two deep-sea terminals in the Waal/Eemhaven area have relatively more connections. The ranking for total capacity/connections is as follows:

Terminal  Connections  Total capacity (TEU/year)

• 1. ECT City 1359 1.100.000
• 2. Uniport Multipurpose 1250 1.200.000
• 3. Euromax 2136 2.300.000
• 4. APMT Rotterdam 2250 2.700.000
• 5. ECT Delta 3250 5.000.000
• 6. RST 640 1.440.000

Most of the services that call in at ECT City and Uniport terminals arrive from Latin-America, South and West Africa, Oceania and Iceland/Norway. These are the source areas for meat, fish and fruit; by far the most important products for reefer containers.

Market
These frozen or refrigerated products are stored temporarily very close (Eemhaven, Maasvlakte) to the port and/or have a final destination on the continent a relatively short distance from Rotterdam, up to 500 kilometres. There is a large
-direct substantial demand from consumers, whether or not via wholesale points such as those from Brussels, Paris/Rungis, Venlo and Barendrecht. Consolidation with Dutch horticultural products takes place at the latter locations.
- indirect demand from the traditionally strong regional food processing industry. These also generate re-export in reefer containers and export of Dutch products, especially dairy.
In addition there is increased sea-to-sea transit from the southern hemisphere especially to Russia, and from Scandinavia to Asia (fish).
The favourable supply and demand situation is reinforced by the fact that many services call in at Rotterdam as the first port of unloading.

Handling capacity
Mostly forty-foot containers are connected to the 11,000 connections. With a multiplying factor of 1.8, the static capacity is almost 20,000 TEU. With an average connection time of 3 to 4 days, the points’ maximum output could amount to 2 million TEU per year (2). Of course the actual results are reduced by seasonal influences (harvest and consumption patterns) while being stimulated by the value of the cargo and the higher costs of terminal spaces.

Dynamics
Shifting consumption and production patterns and system changes in shipping companies (large Asian services loading African cargo in Southern Europe) mean that the Maasvlakte is becoming increasingly important for cargo in reefer containers. The increase in shipping between the southern hemisphere and North Western Europe works in the same way.

The two terminals being constructed at Maasvlakte 2, that is Rotterdam World Gateway and APMT Rotterdam, will therefore have a large number of connections for reefer containers.
The dynamics aren’t limited to the sea area. Food has a strong emotional component and its transportation also needs to meet increasingly stricter quality requirements. Sustainability is an element of this and that is why more inland shipping is being used to and from Rotterdam for hinterland transport.
The dynamics for both sea and land mean that on the link points, the terminals, there is a rising demand for interim storage and reefer points. The hinterland also changes in this respect and the cooling chain is extended up to and including the smaller terminals there. Rotterdam Cool Port, which is expected to be kicked off this year, will be part of the chain as well.

Macro
The export of seasonal fruit from South America and South Africa starts in February, which means almost all the fruit, with the exception of bananas which are produced all year. In Rotterdam, the container share in this is now enormous, when compared to entire reefer vessels with separate pallets.
The structural demand for fruit in Western Europe is hardly increasing but it is in Central Europe. The strongest growth, however, is taking place in the Middle East and Asia (taste development plus increased buying power). As a result, and reinforced by the euro/dollar ratio, more fruit flows to Asia. Increasing supply is possible but it takes time before new trees and plants are productive.

Starting from today, 8 February the `Fruit Logistica´ will take place in Berlin, one of the largest annual trade fairs for the global fruit and food sector.

(1) The Port of Antwerp has approximately 5,000 connections and Hamburg has somewhat fewer.
(2) PSA Singapore handled 1.3 million TEU via 7,000 connections in 2011. Using similar calculations this means that a unit was connected on average 3.5 days. This corresponds with the spontaneous estimate of an ‘insider’ regarding the average connection time at the Rotterdam terminals: ‘Twice per week per point’.

Hydrogen has various applications. Presently, an important one is that hydrogen is needed to de-sulphurise fuels. Oil companies are investing in cleaner production processes because of more stringent environmental requirements. The cleaner fuels ensure that the emission of sulphur dioxide by vehicle and ship engines, for example, is reduced. In addition, hydrogen is an important raw material in the chemical industry. Finally, it is seen by many as the fuel of the future.

The now opened hydrogen factory cost approximately €200 million and was constructed in the very short time of just one-and-a-half years. The factory is situated in the grounds of the ExxonMobil refinery in the Botlek but can also supply hydrogen to other companies in the port area via pipeline. The new factory uses raw materials originating from ExxonMobil and, in addition to hydrogen, also delivers steam to the refinery. This makes it a good example of co-siting: by situating companies that need each other’s raw materials or products close to each other, the production chains are kept as short and efficient as possible, ensuring greater delivery assurance.

The now opened hydrogen factory produces 50% more hydrogen than the old Air Products factory in Pernis, which it replaces. The new factory is some 15% more energy-efficient in the production of hydrogen and is also capture ready, which means that a unit for capturing CO2 can be added to the factory relatively easily.

In addition to Air Products, Air Liquide in Rotterdam also produces hydrogen on a large scale.

Source: Port of Rotterdam

Half of the almost 12,000 bunkers of fuel oil sold are attributed to container ships, but they comprise some three-quarters of the total quantity of bunkered fuel oil. The growth in the number of bunkers remained the same, but the volume increased. This is because container shipping sails more efficiently today (slow steaming); larger and more fully-loaded ships which sail more slowly; instead of 25 knots, 18 knots. Ten per cent less service speed saves 20 per cent fuel and 20 per cent saves 35 per cent. For a usage of 250 to 300 tonnes per 24 hours at US$ 670 (9 January 2012) this makes a big difference.

LNG
The Port Authority is researching the possibility of starting to supply LNG bunkers.

In its main section Spectrum, the International Film Festival Rotterdam screens films by experienced directors and maestros of artistic and experimental cinema. In total, Spectrum is made up of seventy-two features and documentaries from thirty-two countries, among which six films supported by IFFR’s Hubert Bals Fund. The full Spectrum title list is available here.

Sixteen of the Spectrum films will be world premières, including those by Pat Holden (UK); Daniel Rosenfeld (Argentina); Garin Nugroho (Indonesia); Miike Takashi (Japan); Davide Manuli (Italy); Ian Olds & James Franco (USA); Lav Diaz (the Philippines) and Damien Odoul (France). The IFFR opens January 25 with the world premiere of Lucas Belvaux’ 38 TÉMOINS (38 WITNESSES, France).
Furthermore Spectrum includes international premieres of films by Cláudio Assis (Brazil), Kobayashi Masahiro (Japan), Roh Gyeong-Tae (South Korea) and Rick Alverson (USA) and European premieres of films by Bohdan Sláma (Czech Republic), Alexandru Baciu & Radu Muntean (Romania).

World premières in Spectrum 2012
The following films, in alphabetical order by country of production, will have their world premières in the Spectrum programme section at the International Film Festival Rotterdam 2012. See the full premiere list below.

Argentina: CORNELIA AT HER MIRROR by Daniel Rosenfeld, a meticulous and stylish film based on the story by Silvina Ocampo (1903-1993). Hubert Bals Fund-supported film.

Austria: ROMAN DIARY by Michael Pilz, a meditative film featuring images of a park in Rome.

Brazil: RUA APERANA 52 by Júlio Bressane, a musical film about a street corner in Rio, edited together from old photos and the maker’s own films from the period 1957-2005.

Canada: LACAN PALESTINE by Mike Hoolboom, a found-footage essay on a complex country and its love-struck inhabitants.

Filippines: AGONISTES, THE MYTH OF NATION by Lav Diaz, a philosophical, Hubert Bals Fund-supported film in which two workers leave the city in search of treasure.

France: LE RESTE DU MONDE by Damien Odoul (a film in which a family considers issues of identity and relationships, with Marie-Eve Nadeau, Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Béart) and 38 TÉMOINS by Lucas Belvaux (the festival’s opening film, with Yves Attal, Sophie Quinton and Nicole Garcia).

Great Britain: WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT by Pat Holden, a film about a family in Yorkshire tormented by an evil spirit, with Kate Ashfield and Steven Waddington.

Indonesia: THE BLINDFOLD by Garin Nugroho, a topical film that deals with religion in Indonesia, stressing that fundamentalism exists in every faith.

Italy: THE LEGEND OF KASPAR HAUSER by Davide Manuli, a post-modern Western with Vincent Gallo.

Japan: ACE ATTORNEY by Miike Takashi, a film adaptation of the Nintendo game about the legal battle between defence attorney Phoenix Wright (Narimiya Hiroki) and his rival, prosecutor Miles Edgeworth (Saitoh Takumi).

The Netherlands: NICK by Fow Pyng Hu, a character study/road movie with Merijn de Jong and Marcel Hensema; PEACE VERSUS JUSTICE by Klaartje Quirijns, a documentary about Uganda and the relationship with the International Criminal Court in The Hague; and I’M STILL ALIVE by Peter van Houten, a documentary about a poor, elderly Polish woman who has lived in many countries, including the Netherlands.

United States: FRANCOPHRENIA (OR: DON’T KILL ME, I KNOW WHERE THE BABY IS) by Ian Olds & James Franco, a humorous psycho-thriller based on a new script written for existing footage shot by Franco during the shooting of television series General Hospital; A SHAPE OF ERROR by Abigail Child, imaginary home movies filmed in Rome, from the lives of Frankenstein author Mary Shelley and her husband Percy.

This explosive growth occurred, because MSC, the second largest container carrier in the world, acquired its ‘own’ transhipment capacity this year at ECT’s Delta Terminal on the Maasvlakte. MSC and ECT set up a joint operating company for the so-called Delta Dedicated North terminal, comprising almost one third of the total capacity of eight million TEU. This joint venture hires that capacity from ECT.

Volume
Van Ravesteijn does not want to give precise figures, but does say that the total volume ‘goes quite a way towards one million’. It is difficult to state precise figures, according to him, partly, because the calculation method of MSC differs from that of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, which this week published throughput figures of 11.9 million TEU for this year, an increase of 6%. The capacity shortage of MSC in Antwerp also played into the hands of Rotterdam. In Antwerp the shipping company uses the Home Terminal at the Delwaidedok, a 50/50 joint venture of MSC and PSA International. For quite a while it has been running at its maximum capacity of 4.5 million TEU per year and cannot expand further.

Source: Nieuwsblad Transport, 30-12-2011

Market parties do not readily take the initiative when it comes to pipeline infrastructure between various clusters, for reasons including the scale of the investments, the duration of a project and the acquisition of a route and permits. The Antwerp Municipal Port Authority and the Port of Rotterdam Authority, as independent parties, can play a stimulating role here. The two port authorities therefore wish to jointly commission a study for the route and a rough cost estimate for the development of a pipeline bundle between Antwerp and Rotterdam. They will also use the results of the study to gauge interest among market parties in their own port. If there is interest there and a clear win-win situation is created for both port communities, a targeted plan can be developed. This initiative to collaborate can serve as a model for other cooperation projects between ports. It is not a question of ‘all-embracing’ cooperation, but a specific project from which two or, if necessary, several ports can benefit.

Industry in Antwerp and Rotterdam competes on the world market, and therefore benefits greatly from increases in scale and an efficient cost position for the port and industrial complexes in which they operate. Better connections between the two contribute to this. The integration between companies within an industrial cluster and between different industrial clusters can be improved by means of pipelines.

Pipeline infrastructure is a safe and sustainable alternative to transport by road, water and rail, it improves accessibility and flexibility, and it ensures that the port and industrial complexes of Antwerp and Rotterdam can continue to develop. In addition to the exchange of raw materials, companies within the respective port areas can more easily exchange residual substances and in this way reduce their energy consumption, emissions, subsidiary products, waste products and costs.

One of Europe’s leading local search providers, Tupalo has announced the official opening of its Rotterdam office.

While it’s part of a much larger international expansion plan, Tupalo notes that the Rotterdam office is key, as the firm continues to establish itself as the trusted advisor of social and local search across the Netherlands.

Tupalo currently has over 15 million business listings 9 countries around the globe totaling approximately 4 million unique visits per month. In addition to the Netherlands, Tupalo counts Austria, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia as its core focus markets, a move that flies in direct opposition to the traditional EU expansion routes, which are Germany, France, and the UK.

Read the whole story: thenextweb.com

Production of NExBTL renewable diesel at the new plant will be ramped up on a phased basis. The start-up is a significant milestone in Neste Oil’s cleaner traffic strategy and consolidates the company’s position as the world’s leading producer of renewable diesel. The plant was completed on-schedule and on-budget.

“We are very proud of the new plant in Rotterdam,” says Neste Oil’s President and CEO, Matti Lievonen. “It will help us meet demand in the European market, the world’s largest for renewable diesel.”

The Rotterdam plant has a capacity of 800,000 t/a and will increase Neste Oil’s total renewable diesel capacity to 2 million t/a. Utilizing Neste Oil’s proprietary NExBTL technology, the plant can make flexible use of almost any vegetable oil or waste fat in the production of premium-quality renewable diesel. The plant employs approximately 150 people, consisting of 110 Neste Oil employees and 40 service provider personnel.

Neste Oil already operates a renewable diesel plant in Singapore that came on stream in 2010 and two plants in Porvoo in Finland that came on stream in 2007 and 2009. All of Neste Oil’s NExBTL plants produce renewable diesel and have the capability to produce NExBTL renewable aviation fuel.

“The Rotterdam plant is Neste Oil’s fourth facility producing high-quality renewable diesel. With its start-up, our major EUR 1.5 billion investment program aimed at increasing our renewable diesel production capacity has entered its final stage. The successful completion of the program underlines our strong commitment to providing solutions that help meet the world’s growing energy demand and need to reduce traffic-related emissions,” continues Lievonen.

Neste Oil’s NExBTL renewable diesel is a premium fuel that is compatible with all diesel engines and existing fuel distribution systems. It offers excellent performance at low temperatures and can be used either blended with fossil diesel or as such. NExBTL helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 40-80% compared to fossil diesel. Its lower tailpipe emissions also make a valuable contribution to enhancing overall air quality, especially in urban areas.

Neste Oil Corporation

The Rotterdam public transportation company RET will soon equip all trams with cameras that scan passengers’ faces and comparing them to a database of images when boarding. The driver gets an alert if a passengers is on the watch list.

The measure must protect public transport employees from aggressive passengers, said RET spokesman Martin Kenney. If successful, the technology will be extended.

Rotterdam is the first Dutch municipality that will introduce the new technology to the Dutch public transportation sector for the first time and may transform the public’s experience of traveling.

The technology does not compromise our privacy, said a RET spokesman. “The camera only scans facial features, which are not linked to any personal information that can identify any individual person.

The MINI MALL consists of 2500 sq. m. of retail and catering space for entrepreneurs, artists, designers and other creative minds, who will breathe new life into this unique area as from spring 2011.

The development of the Hofplein Station into a compact shopping mall comes in response to a lack of affordable locations in Rotterdam where fresh new initiatives can see the light of day. The MINI MALL offers space for special catering outlets, original shop formats for independent designers, vintage clothing, chique sneakers, handmade accessories, comics & second-hand furniture. Mini Mall offers more than shopping, you can also enjoy a ‘high wine’, a latte macchiato, personal training, jazz concerts and club nights.

Its central location and authentic character make the future MINI MALL a place where both the people of the city and international visitors can feast on fashion, music, art, design and lifestyle and good food, every day of the week.

One of the special qualities of the MINI MALL is that for entrepreneurs it is possible to programme events and other activities there. The MINI MALL has been designed by AFARAI and PEÑA architecture and the developer is Hofbogen BV.

Mini Mall
Raampoortstraat 30
3032 AH Rotterdam
Web site: www.mini-mall.nl