Hinterland Connections

Rotterdam, the ideal port of entry to the European market
Rotterdam serves a hinterland of more than 150 million consumers living within a radius of 500 kilometres of Rotterdam, and 500 million consumers all over Europe. This is a gigantic market, representing a combined buying power of $ 600 billion. The European market is accessible from Rotterdam via five competing modalities: road, rail, inland shipping, coastal shipping and pipeline. Goods which arrive in Rotterdam in a morning can be in, for example, Germany, Belgium, France or Great Britain the same afternoon. From Rotterdam, all major industrial and economic centers in Western Europe can be reached in less than 24 hours.

One of the main advantages of Rotterdam is its location on the estuary of the rivers Rhine and Maas. As a result, efficient and economical transport by inland vessel is possible deep into the heart of Europe. The Betuwe Route is the new, 160-kilometre long goods line that links Rotterdam directly with Germany. Feeder and short-sea ships connect Rotterdam by sea with more than 200 European ports; often with several departures a day. The short-sea/feeder ship is forming an increasingly important alternative to goods transport via Europe's busy roads. Underground, Rotterdam has direct links with the major industrial centres elsewhere in Northwest Europe. Pipeline is an ideal mode of transport for bulk chemicals, crude oil and oil products. Despite all this, the truck remains indispensable, particularly when it comes to more short-distance transport and door-to-door delivery. 

The map gives an idea of Rotterdam’s location in relation to the industrial centres of Europe and the network of transport links per mode.