Today is our last day before heading back to the USA. We had one last tour activity, a bike tour of the Rotterdam Harbor.
To start the bike tour, we first learned about Dutch biking etiquette, such as right of way and passing rules. After getting off the biking entrance, we embarked on a tour of the harbor.
At the harbor, I saw numerous large ships. Rotterdam is the busiest port in Europe and one of the busiest in the world. We also learned that the Rotterdam harbor is actually a vast network extending all the way out to the North Sea. Some of the islands are for container unloading, and other islands are for ship docking.
The harbor was expanded in stages, with the old harbor in the city center being incorporated in the 1400s while the newest harbor is expected to be complete in the 2030s. All of these expansions serve different purposes, yet keep Rotterdam competitive in the global market.
We also discussed the impact of the Suez Canal obstruction on Rotterdam and the global market, as the Suez Canal obstruction delayed the arrival of numerous container ships bound for Rotterdam.
Today was a very educational day.
– Dylan Vergara