Europe's largest port, Rotterdam, is preparing for a possible war with the Russian Federation. Currently, berths are being reserved for ships carrying military cargo. Planning is also underway on where to redirect cargo in the event of a conflict, writes UNN with reference to the Financial Times.
Details
Boudewijn Simons, Executive Director of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, said that the port is coordinating with neighboring Antwerp on actions in case of arrival of British, American, and Canadian vehicles and cargo.
Already in May, the Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands announced that the port of Rotterdam should provide a place for handling vessels transporting military cargo, if such a request comes from NATO. Simons stated that one or more vessels will be moored at the pier for several weeks four or five times a year. Military exercises will also be conducted several times a year.
The port of Rotterdam is 42 km long. Annually, it receives 28,000 sea vessels and 91,000 river vessels from Germany and handles about 436 million tons of cargo and inland areas of Europe. The port already has experience working with warships and cargo. For example, during the 2003 Persian Gulf War. At the same time, even at the height of the Cold War, the port did not have a special pier for warships.
At the same time, neighboring Antwerp regularly receives supplies for American troops stationed in Europe. It handles 240 million tons of cargo per year. This makes it the second largest port in the EU.
Simons also called on European countries to create stockpiles of heavy goods, as they do with oil.
"We must do the same with materials such as copper, lithium, graphite, and a number of other important raw materials," he said.
Simons added that areas around ports with good distribution networks are suitable for such stockpiles.
Addition
Russia detained the Greek oil tanker Green Admire, which was sailing from Estonia to Rotterdam. Estonia warned NATO allies about Russia's unpredictable behavior.