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The Port and City of Rotterdam – ‘Era of Transition’

 1 March 2016
 3.00pm – 5.00pm. Registration from 2.30pm, seated by 3.00pm 
 MND Auditorium

Organised by:
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC)
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Academy (MPAA)

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Resources

 

Lecture Poster (PDF: 399KB)
Lecture Report (PDF: 1.23KB)
Lecture Transcript (PDF: 986KB)

Lecture Videos

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Synopsis

As the port industry transits towards a sustainable, bio-based, circular economy, the Port of Rotterdam is taking a leading role in the development of LNG, biofuels and renewable energy In collaboration with companies, universities and knowledge institutes. Maasvlakte 2 is an example of how a port can be developed as a green and sustainable frontrunner; companies located at Maasvlakte 2 are stimulated to make use of each other’s waste products, and residual heat is used for greenhouses in the region.

Riding on urbanisation, the municipality of Rotterdam adopts the circular economy principle by redeveloping former warehouses and shipyards into new business parks and facilities in the city area, which provide vibrant spaces for innovative companies, knowledge-institutes and universities. Sustainability is an important aspect in the reuse of these buildings.

Vice Mayor Adriaan Visser and Port of Rotterdam President Allard Castelein will share their insights on creating a port that is considerate towards the liveability for the region and adaptable to the current transition of the chemical and energy landscape. The lecture is organised by Centre for Liveable Cities, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore Academy and the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Lecture Report

Imagine a port that’s powered by renewable energy where residual heat is redistributed to nearby homes in a “green roundabout”. Or a port authority that invests in innovation as part of its mandate, even if it means making the very notion of ports obsolete in the future. The City of Rotterdam is doing precisely that, by embracing the circular economy and expanding the port’s mandate to include innovation investments and community building.

 

Circular Economy and the Re-Development of the City Ports in Rotterdam
Addressing CLC’s audience in a lecture co-organised with the Singapore Maritime and Port Authority (MPA) and Embassy of the Netherlands in Singapore, Rotterdam’s Vice Mayor Adriaan Visser, described the Dutch city’s working class background, and how, by the middle of the last century, ships became too large to sail on the river. Ports in the city fell in their importance and Rotterdam began building new ports — such as Maasvlakte, and the upcoming Maasvlakte 2.

 

Mr Visser said a key factor distinguishing ports of the past and that of the future is climate change. Rotterdam is focused on the circular economy — moving from a linear production line (“make, supply, dispose”) to an approach that is one of long-term use with minimal waste and pollution (“think, make, supply, reuse”).

 

“Sustainability no longer is a choice. The choice is in the question of how we are going to become more sustainable.”
— Adriaan Visser, Vice Mayor of Rotterdam

 

Old city ports that are disused are making way for things like Rotterdam Innovation District, where companies work with institutions of learning on innovation projects; and the city provides physical space and fiscal support. This attracts companies, financiers, learning institutes as well as young creatives to the city.

 

Sustainable and Adaptable Port — Transitions in Energy and Logistics
Allard Castelein, President Port of Rotterdam, characterised the future of ports alongside two key transitions — in energy use and logistics.

 

“I feel that it’s important that we take a first step in order to start moving. Otherwise, we can continue to analyse till, as the English would say, ‘the cows come home.’”
— Allard Castelein, President, Port of Rotterdam

 

While it is hard to remove fossil fuels from day-to-day use, his organisation wants to make such refineries “leaner and greener”. Some examples include steampipes for transferring residual heat for industry, household and greenhouses; and also carbon capture and storage for further reuse.

 

In renewable energy, Rotterdam is commissioning offshore wind in the North Sea bordering Dutch ports, where there is a high level of wind reliability. Conversely, it is working to decommission offshore platforms for oil and gas.

 

In logistics, by using data, smart apps, and strengthening value chains to cut inefficiencies, some industries could have a new lease of life. “We are looking for the Airbnb and Uber of logistics — more competitive and cleaner,” he said.

 

To usher in these energy and logistics transitions, the Port has formal programmes to bring new ideas from companies and institutions. Companies involved in transport and logistics, energy, chemical and refinery, and the maritime industry, are invited to Rotterdam, where leaders and business captains coach and help them “mature their ideas and hopefully set off with success.”

 

Highlights From Audience Discussion
During the discussion, moderated by MPA’s Chief Executive Andrew Tan, audience members asked about support for Rotterdam’s innovation projects; companies carrying out sustainability requirements while operating within Rotterdam’s ports; and the likelihood of MPA following in the footsteps of Maasvlakte 2.

 

Mr Castelein said that while the average quantum of innovation investments is relatively small, it is critical to secure public support for this, adding that the Dutch finance ministry has been very encouraging.

 

On sustainability requirements, “none of the companies as individual entities have the capabilities or the permits to invest in over-arching infrastructure,” he explained. For example, companies had to build steampipes to redistribute residual heat, but they do have to build over-arching infrastructure to support it.

 

On Singapore taking the lead from Rotterdam’s Maaslakte 2, Mr Tan replied that this would depend on MPA’s future mandate. As the maritime sector thrives on being mobile, Rotterdam and MPA could collaborate and bring ports together through data analytics and coming up with e-solutions, he said.

 

Written by Leong Wen Shan.

 

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