Europe’s largest port — Rotterdam — is developing measures in case of a potential war with Russia. As part of the preparations, places are being reserved for ships with military cargo, and the logistics of redirecting commercial cargo in the event of an escalation of the conflict are also being worked out. About this informs Financial Times.
The port is coordinating with Antwerp to be ready to receive British, American and Canadian vehicles and cargo, said Rotterdam Port Authority Executive Director Boudewein Simons.
In May, the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands officially announced that the port of Rotterdam should allocate space for ships with military equipment at the request of NATO. According to Simons, it is anticipated that one or more vessels will moor at the pier for several weeks, four to five times a year. In addition, regular military exercises are planned.
The Port of Rotterdam stretches for 42 km and handles around 436 million tonnes of cargo each year, receiving 28,000 sea and 91,000 river vessels – mostly from Germany and other regions of Europe. The port has already handled military cargo in the past, including during the 2003 Gulf War. However, even during the Cold War, it did not have a special infrastructure for such a purpose.
The port of Antwerp, which handles 240 million tons of cargo a year, regularly receives supplies for US troops stationed in Europe and ranks second among EU ports. Simons emphasized the need to build strategic reserves of critical raw materials.
“We have to do the same with materials like copper, lithium, graphite and a number of other important raw materials,” – he explained, noting that ports with developed distribution infrastructure are the best place to store such stocks.
