-The Opening Ceremony of the Rotterdam Distribution Center will be hold on Oct. 29(Fri)-

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Busan Port Authority announced that they secured a logistics center for Korean companies in the Port of Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, and will hold an opening ceremony at 11am on October 29 (Fri) in Netherlands time. Pilot operation of the Rotterdam Logistics Center will begin after the ceremony, and 15,000 square meters of the warehouse area will be used for Korean SMEs.

The Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the 11th busiest port in the world, and the busiest in Europe. Commerce and the logistics industry are traditionally b in the Netherlands as it borders Germany in the East, Belgium in the South, and the UK just over the North Sea. In particular, the Port of Rotterdam has been the center of shipping for centuries and is now the largest transshipment port and gateway port in Europe, contributing to the national economy, along with the Amsterdam city.

In 2018, many Korean companies operating in Europe, mainly in Rotterdam, experienced difficulties securing logistics facilities. As they had to lease overseas logistics facilities, they often suffered due to excessive logistics costs caused by a sudden rise in leasing fees. In addition, the lack of a stable overseas logistics base made it hard for them to export.

Accordingly, the need to secure a logistics base overseas for Korean companies was raised, and Busan Port Authority stepped forward as it can invest and communicate easily with overseas port authority. As a result, BPA established an office in the Netherlands for the first time for Korean port authority and started constructing a logistics center in the District Maasvlakte, located 15km to the West of the Port of Rotterdam.

The distribution center has a warehouse area of 30,000 square meters, and 15,000 square meters of that area will be allocated to Korean SMEs first. The Rotterdam Logistics Center with an IT-based cargo tracking ad inventory management system will support Korean SMEs to utilize sophisticated IT-based logistics solutions. In addition to cargo storage, the center will provide comprehensive logistics services, such as repacking, labeling, connecting land and water transport, and leasing office space, required by Korean companies operating overseas.

The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and Busan Port Authority will continue to work together to secure distribution bases in major overseas ports. On September 15, the logistics center at the Port of Probolinggo in Java, Indonesia, began operating. There is a distribution center at the Port of Barcelona, a gateway to Southern Europe, and it is scheduled to operate at the end of this year.

Young-Ho PARK, Director of the Port Logistics Planning Division of MOF, said “I hope the logistics center at the Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, will help improve logistics competitiveness of Korean companies. The MOF will continue to expand overseas logistics base to support the companies experiencing difficulties in exporting after the COVID-19 crisis.”

Companies interested in using the Rotterdam Distribution Center may contact Busan Port Authority Europe Office in Rotterdam. (europebpa@gmail.com)