Adaptive Port Masterplanning for Europoort at Port of Rotterdam

Abstract

Waterborne transport infrastructures play a crucial role in global integration, and ports are key components to materialise this amalgamation. However they are constantly challenged to keep fulfilling their functions in a changing environment. Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe and the Western hemisphere too, faces those challenges on a daily basis. In order to maintain and enhance the future efficiency of the Harbour Industrial Complex, strategic adaptations based on long-term planning are required. This is more relevant on those existing port areas such as Europoort, where basic infrastructure is approaching the end of their life cycle, and fragmentation of original plots led to inefficient use of the land and some waterfront areas. In order to meet these needs, this study presents the application of Adaptive Port Planning framework (Taneja, 2013) to the existing Europoort Masterplan for increasing its robustness while ensuring that the port has the license-to-operate and the license-to-grow in the long-term. The Adaptive Port Planning approach goes further than the traditional port planning approach throughout incorporating uncertainty and flexibility considerations. Furthermore, this project also integrates the PIANC Green Ports approach (PIANC, 2014), as well as other existing frameworks towards a sustainable growth of the port.