Port of Amsterdam ready for biomass
As of February 2012, the Port of Amsterdam is ready to unload, store and transship biomass. This sustainable feedstock is mostly shipped onboard seagoing vessels arriving from countries such as Canada, the United States and Brazil. In the coming years the flow of this cargo is expected to grow exponentially.
International logistics hub
The Port of Amsterdam announced the news on its website, explaining that a delegation from Port Erie, Pennsylvania, visited Amsterdam to study the port’s biomass handling capabilities on 2 February 2012. John Elliott, Managing Director and CEO of the Economic Development Corporation of Erie County, commented: “What we need is a market capable of handling 500,000 tons of wood pellets. Visiting the Port of Amsterdam is an obvious step because the port has a major and specialist energy cluster offering extensive possibilities when it comes to unloading, storing and transhipping of biomass. Also, the Port of Amsterdam is an international logistics hub with outstanding water connections with the hinterland.”
Energy port
The Port of Amsterdam is already an established international energy hub with a major cargo share consisting of oil and coal. Biomass is expected to play an important role in the near future. By 2020, the Port of Amsterdam is expecting to handle a transhipment level of approximately six million tons for the Northwest European market. Biomass transhipment is possible thanks to companies such as IGMA, OBA and Maja Stuwadoors.
The Port of Amsterdam is currently ranked fourth in Europe, handling 92 million metric tons of cargo in 2011 [source].
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