A research on strategies for port planning, concerning the storage and flow of empty marine containers in the port of Rotterdam. The aim of this research is to give insight in the effects of port planning strategies of the Rotterdam Port Authority (RPA), regarding storage facilities for empty containers (empty depots) at the Port of Rotterdam (PoR). Empty depots generate transport of empty containers (often by truck), and increasingly require port terrain. Given the expected growth of trade volumes, the environmental regulations and the quality of the accessibiliy of the PoR requires a planning strategy for empty depots. In the allocation of storage areas for empty containers the RPA needs to decide upon the location, the quantity, the dimensions of the required area, the related infrastructure (which impacts the accessibility of the port) and the lease price of empty depot terrain.