Behind the familiar decor of megaships, moving cranes and splashing foam, a new harbour is invisibly growing in Rotterdam. A digital look-alike, running on laptops and mobile phones, apps and algorithms. Rotterdam wants to become the ‘smartest port in the world’. According to Paul Smits, financial director of the Port of Rotterdam, this digital version is of ‘vital importance’ for the competitive position of the largest port in Europe. ‘If other ports work more efficiently, Rotterdam would lose cargo.’
According to Bart Kuipers, senior researcher port economics at Erasmus School of Economics, another argument would be that ‘an innovative port attracts innovative companies’. With this, Kuipers does not only refer to start-ups, but also to major players like IBM and Maersk. The transformation of the port can also be seen in the new employees, says Kuipers. There are more and more programmers with ‘trendy ponytails, beards and tattoos.’
The entire article about the transformation of Rotterdam’s port in “Het Financieele Dagblad”, 26 November 2018, can be downloaded below (in Dutch).