At a landmark ceremony in Rotterdam today, a port operator and four shipping companies signed an agreement to form the Rotterdam World Gateway (RWG) consortium for building and operating a US$1.2 billion terminal at the Maasvlakte 2 development.

The agreement was signed by Hans Smits, chief executive officer of the Port of Rotterdam Authority and by representatives of the consortium, which consists of port operator DP World and shipping lines APL, Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL), Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM), and CMA CGM.

Smits said: "The new Maasvlakte 2 provides a high-quality site. Such new terminal locations are very scarce in Europe and this will be even more the case in the next decades. This called for partners able to fill the new terminal, deliver both financially and operationally, while optimising hinterland connectivity as part of the effort to reduce environmental impact of container traffic. Rotterdam World Gateway proved to be this partner."

The agreement for the operation of the terminal was originally announced on 12 July 2007. It will be the first terminal to be set up on the new site. The terminal will have a 1,900m long deep-sea quay with a depth of 20m, a 550m quay for inland shipping and feeder vessels and its own rail terminal with a connection to the Betuweroute. It will have a capacity of some four million TEUs. The terminal will be phased into operation from 2013 onwards.

The Rotterdam signing ceremony was attended by Jamal Majid bin Thaniah, vice-chairman of DP World and Group CEO of Ports and Free Zones World; Ron Widdows, CEO of APL; Masakazu Yakushiji, executive vice-president of MOL; Yoo, Chang Keun, executive vice-president, head of liner division, HMM; and Kévork Hekimian, executive vice-president of CMA CGM.

Speaking at the ceremony, all parties expressed optimism for the future of the terminal and the port.

Jamal Majid of DP World said: “We are looking forward to working with our colleagues in the consortium and the Port of Rotterdam to building a world-class terminal operation”.

Widdows of APL said: “As APL and our partners bring larger ships into service, this facility will set new standards in delivering operational efficiency and environmental benefits. This will be our main hub in Europe.“

Yakushiji of MOL said: “The operation of this new terminal will do much to strengthen our position in Europe and is key to our expansion plans in this region”.

Yoo of HMM said: “Rotterdam will be a very important main hub for the TNWA Lines, CMA-CGM and DP World and this is a new step towards forming a strategic alliance”.

Kévork Hekimian of CMA CGM said: “We are sure the new terminal will set a new standard in handling the next generation of mega ships we and our partners have on order.”