Zeevaart

Corbion produces biobased food ingredients and biochemicals from lactic acid. The firm intends to start producing bioplastics. RWE and Uniper are looking for opportunities to make power generation more sustainable. And the Port Authority aims to stimulate biobased industry in the port area. The solution? The realisation of a biorefinery that converts biomass like wood into feedstock for the production of chemicals and plastics and into fuels for generating power. Through this initiative, the partners are giving concrete shape to the development of the circular economy.

Corbion, Uniper, RWE and the Port Authority have developed a joint business case that looks very promising. The port of Rotterdam enjoys a steady intake of biomass. The development of a biorefinery would allow local partners to take even more effective advantage of this influx. The biomass can be used instead of fossil base materials for the production of biochemicals and plastics, as well as generate electricity and heat. This prevents the consumption of fossil reserves, and consequently reduces CO2 emissions.

Chemically breaking down (refining) wood feedstock rather than burning it directly yields a number of interesting components: lignin and sugars. Project Director Marc Lankveld of Corbion: “That is why Corbion has joined this initiative. We can use the sugars created in this process for the production of bioplastics.” The lignin can be used to generate heat and energy and, in the longer term, chemicals and fuels. Lankveld: “This allows us to create even more value.”

The partners are currently determining which party they will engage for the refinery’s actual construction. To this end, Corbion is introducing the Port Authority and the power companies to various parties within Corbion’s network. “This is an interesting development, since it brings parties in contact with each other that have never spoken with each other before.” Lankveld: “We are jointly creating favourable conditions in the port, and our firm will be buying the end product. We see a lot of potential.”

Levenswaard has been employed by the Port Authority since 1992 and can draw on a great deal of relevant experience. For example, he has been Business Development Manager for both Shipping and Industry & Bulk and, from 2007, he held the position of Senior Business Manager Shipping (Bulk & Shipping). Levenswaard’s ambitions match the efforts of the Port Authority to develop the port of Rotterdam into the leading breakbulk port of North-West Europe.

Breakbulk
The Breakbulk department of the Port of Rotterdam Authority focusses on the handling of project cargo and heavy lift, forest products, steel and non-ferrous metals, cars, fruit and distribution. The port has specialised terminals for every kind of breakbulk cargo, has the largest fleet of floating cranes in Europe and excellent hinterland connections. The dedicated service providers, who are on standby 24/7, and the modern facilities ensure that breakbulk can be efficiently processed at any time of the day.

The decision to invest in Rotterdam was made because Rotterdam offers major benefits due its depth, access to sales markets in the Benelux and Germany, and the integration between various industries. As a result it is possible for us to procure services more efficiently and to achieve many logistics benefits.

The port of Rotterdam is healthy and from this position of strength the Port Authority and companies work hard to stay competitive in the future in environmentally-aware ways. This requires the right balance between investments and cost control. Investments to support new activities and to continue to develop the port’s infrastructure. Cost control in order to keep the port attractive to existing companies. For a refinery, the playing field is international, and the predictable and moderate evolution of costs is of major importance in order to stay competitive.

Government plays a key role in the port’s investment climate. Legislation in the Netherlands is far more stringent in certain areas than in surrounding countries. We cannot afford this. There must be a level playing field. This is, for example, currently the case in terms of the directives concerning the storage of hazardous substances (PGS29), the rules for exposure to hazardous substances and the standards for NOx emissions. The rules that are currently being proposed will not result in a higher level of safety or better health for our people or the environment, but they do create additional costs that affect the competitive position of the companies in our port. In our view, this cannot possibly be the desired way forward.
Let us jointly, that is companies and governments, ensure that the port of Rotterdam stays attractive to industry, so that the port will continue to attract investments such as ours.

The Rotterdam Experience Tour was a follow-up to the bayrolo study carried out in October 2015. An important conclusion of this study was that the connection between Bavaria and Rotterdam has even more potential than originally thought. A second conclusion was that German shippers, freight forwarders and shipping companies are receptive to the idea of exploring options via Rotterdam. The high turnout was an indication of the interest of the German market to optimise the logistics chain between Rotterdam and Bavaria collectively.

Yesterday the German guests saw the Maasvlakte I and II terminals from the water. During the morning of 16 March, they received an update about the latest developments in the port of Rotterdam and the connections with Europe, followed by a visit to RSC and RST in the Waal and Eemhaven area. The evening centred around ‘matchmaking’. Allard Castelein, the CEO of the Port Authority, welcomed the guests. Furthermore, there were presentations by Mark Frequin, Director-General of Mobility and Transport from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Adriaan Visser, City Councillor for Finance & Port, and the German Ambassador Franz Jozef Kremp.

The trees are bobbing around on the water in recycled old sea buoys. Jeroen Everaert of art producer Mothership, creator and executor of the Floating Forest, and Jorge Bakker, artist of the miniature version 'In Search of Habitus', gave the signal to lower the last buoy with tree into the water with a huge crane. The 21st tree is located on the quay so it can be admired from up close. The Floating Forest will remain in the Rijnhaven for at least five years - an iconic, green work of art for the port and the city, in anticipation of the first seal to use it to answer nature’s call.

You can view the time lapse of the placing of the forest or the report on RTV Rijnmond here.