During the last 60 years, the Port of Rotterdam has grown to be one of the major container ports in the world. The city of Rotterdam has changed from a fishing harbour to a Mainport in the last 600 years. The port facilities including the waterways, terminals and hinterland connections as well as the operating methods and handling techniques, have constantly adapted to the changing requirements over the years. The present position of the Port has been acquired through developments of design and construction techniques that cope with increasing loads and growing ship dimensions and through investments in infrastructure, information technology and logistics, all with due consideration for the environment. This paper describes the evolution of container handling in the Port of Rotterdam since the arrival of the first container in Rotterdam in 1966 up to the present.