The importance of Rotterdam: Europe's largest seaport

NARRATOR: The whole continent is supplied from this port, Rotterdam, the largest sea-port in Europe and one of the largest in the world. The port is located at the Rhine-Maas Delta estuary, where the Rhine flows into the North Sea. It's 40 kilometers long and spreads over 10,500 hectares - up to now. Since globalization needs space, the capacity of the Rotterdam port is exhausted. It has to be extended once again. More and more shore has to be taken back from the sea. The sea has been pushed back by 280 million tons of land mass, at a price of 1.5 billion Euros.

Owing to its special geographical location, the Rotterdam Port enjoys great renown. The largest ships in the world can enter the harbor directly from the sea - ships drawing up to 24 meters. Rotterdam is far and away the most important trading point for mineral oil in Europe. Millions of tons of oil arrive every year. About half of it is shipped on to the Rhur district and to Antwerp and the other half is processed directly at the port. Almost all oil companies have refineries at the port and large consumers like Frankfurt Airport in Germany are directly connected to Rotterdam through their own pipelines. In view of the mineral oils and chemicals that are involved, the Rotterdam Port has become, at the same time, one of the most dangerous places in the world. Strictest safety regulations are in use since 1.2 million people are living directly at the side of the port.

IAN HAGENSEN: I think you have to be attentive all the time, but when you are most alert is during the loading-unloading operation because that's where most of the things happen.

NARRATOR: The port in Rotterdam is Europe's gate to the world. Without it, the Europe of today and globalization would be difficult to imagine.