Port Description

The Port of Rotterdam is Europe's largest seaport, and it is the second biggest city in The Netherlands. Located about 34 nautical miles downstream from the Port of Moerdijk on the New Meuse and 70 kilometers southwest of the Port of Amsterdam, the Port of Rotterdam is about 100 nautical miles directly east of the Port of Felixstowe in England. In 2007, the Port of Rotterdam was home to over 584 thousand people, and the urban area contained almost 896 thousand people.

The Port of Rotterdam is the base of the city's economy. Located in the heart of Europe's industrialized, highly-populated triangle of the German Ruhr district, Paris, and London, the Port of Rotterdam is strategically positioned on the world's busiest sea. It is an important distribution point for products going all over inland Europe. The Port of Rotterdam also has a busy petrochemical industry and several oil refineries. Crude oil arrives by sea to be processed and delivered to areas in The Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.

Port Authority

• Rotterdam Municipal Port Management

• Address:P.O. Box 6622 Rotterdam 3002 AP Netherlands
• Phone:31 (0) 10 252 10 10
• Fax:31 (0) 10 252 10 20
• Email:info@portmanagement.com
• Web Site:www.portofrotterdam.com

Port Description

The Port of Hamburg lies on the shores of the Elbe River in Germany about 83 kilometers from the North Sea. It is about 110 kilometers east-southeast of the Port of Bremerhaven and some 58 kilometers southwest of the Port of Lubeck. The Port of Hamburg, with the official name "The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg," is Germany's second biggest city, port, and commercial center. Clearly, the Port of Hamburg has a long history of self-determination. In fact, Hamburg and Bremen are the only two German city-states that retain their medieval independence, a point of great pride for city residents. In 2002, over 1.7 million people lived in the Port of Hamburg, and over 2.5 million called the metropolitan area home.

The Port of Hamburg is the most important component of the city's economy. Ranking second in Germany after Rotterdam, it is Europe's ninth busiest international port. When Germany was reunified and the Port of Hamburg recovered its eastern hinterlands, it became the fastest-growing European port, and the many consulates in the city reveal its importance to international trade. In addition to the Port of Hamburg, the city has an important civil aerospace industry, with one Airbus plant employing more than 13 thousand workers. Heavy industries in the Port of Hamburg include several shipyards and manufacturers of steel, aluminum, and copper. Media businesses are important contributors to the local economy, with many television and radio stations and some of the country's biggest publishing companies, including newspapers and magazines, in the Port of Hamburg. The city is also home to several music companies and Internet-based businesses.

Port Authority

• Port Authority of Hamburg

• Address:Mattentwiete 2 Hamburg D - 20457 Germany
• Phone:+49-40 / 37 709 -0
• Fax:+49-40/37 709-109
• Email:info@hafen-hamburg.de
• Web Site:www.hafen-hamburg.de

Port Description

The Port of Bremerhaven lies on both banks of the Geest River as it enters the eastern Weser estuary about 70 kilometers from the North Sea in northern Germany. The Port of Bremerhaven is about 20 nautical miles east of the Port of Wilhelmshaven on the western banks of the estuary and about 276 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. In 2003, over 118 thousand people lived in the Port of Bremerhaven.

The Port of Bremerhaven is the seaport for the city-state of Bremen. While is a new city by European standards, it has long been an important port for trade, and it one of Germany's principal seaports. The Port of Bremerhaven is the fourth biggest container port in Europe and the world's sixteenth largest container port. More cars move through the Port of Bremerhaven than any other European city but Rotterdam.

Port Authority

• Bremen Port Authority

• Address:Hansestadt Bremisches Ueberseetor 2
•  Bremen Germany
• Phone:49 421 361 8504
• Fax:49 421 361 8387
• Email:bremen-port@hbh.bremen.de
• Web Site:www.bremen-ports.de

Port Description

The Port of Antwerp lies on the banks of the River Schelde about 88 kilometers from the North Sea in Belgium. Capital of Antwerp Province in Flanders, one of Belgium's three regions, the Port of Antwerp is about 43 kilometers east-northeast of the Port of Ghent and about 45 kilometers north of the Port of Brussels. The Port of Antwerp is one of the world's busiest seaports. Over 472 thousand people live in the city, and almost 1.2 million people call the metropolitan area home.

In 2005, the American Association of Port Authorities reported that the Port of Antwerp was the second busiest port in Europe and the 17th busiest in the world (defined by the amount of cargo handled) in 2005. The Port of Antwerp focuses on general, bulk, and project cargoes. It is also home to the second largest petrochemical industrial complex in the world, after only Houston, Texas. The Port of Antwerp is also one of the world's most important centers for the diamond trade.

Port Authority

• Antwerp Port Authority

• Address:Havenhuis Entrepotkaai 1 Antwerp B-2000 Belgium
• Phone:+32-3-205 20 11
• Fax:+32-3-205 20 28
• Email:info@haven.antwerpen.be
• Web Site:www.portofantwerp.be

Port Description

The Port of Le Havre lies on the right bank of the Seine estuary as it enters the English Channel about 106 nautical miles south-southeast of Southampton in Great Britain. The Port of Le Havre is also located some 216 kilometers west-northwest of Paris and 85 kilometers west of the Port of Rouen. In 2004, some 184 thousand people lived in the Port of Le Havre.

The Port of Le Havre is France's second port after Marseille. Much of the traffic passing through the Port of Le Havre is crude oil, but the Port of Le Havre is also important for its ship repairs and its ferry services to England and Ireland. The Port of Le Havre supports a large industrial zone that contains oil-refining, chemical, petrochemical, cement, automotive, and aeronautical industries. The Port of Le Havre contains growing service and administrative sectors and a growing tourist trade.

Port Authority

• Port Authority of Le Havre

• Address:Terre-Plein de la Barre B.P. 1413
•  Le Havre, Cedex 76067 France
• Phone:33 2 32 74 74 00
• Fax:33 2 32 74 74 29
• Email:internetpah@havre-port.fr
• Web Site:www.havre-port.net

Port Description

Felixstowe Port is the United Kingdom's busiest container port. Located in the Suffolk Coastal district on England's eastern shores, Felixstowe Port lies on the northeastern side of the River Orwell estuary across from Harwich Harbor. Less than 100 kilometers northeast of London, Felixstowe Port is England's closest port to Rotterdam and the Netherlands' Europort. It is also a yachting harbor and seaside resort. In 2001, over 29 thousand people called Felixstowe Port home.

Port Authority

• Hutchison Ports (UK) Limited

• Address:Tomline House The Dock Felixstowe,
•  Suffolk IP11 3SY United Kingdom
• Phone:44-1394-604500
• Fax:44-1394-604949
• Email:enquiries@fdrc.co.uk
• Web Site:www.portoffelixstowe.co.uk

Port Description

The Port of Southampton is located to the immediate north of the Isle of Wight on a peninsula between the Itchen and Test River estuaries in south central England. The Port of Southampton is about 125 kilometers southwest of London and some 100 nautical miles across the English Channel from the Port of Le Havre, France's second busiest port. In 2005, some 222 thousand people lived in the Port of Southampton.

The Port of Southampton has been a shipping center since its beginnings, and the port is a major employer. Between the two world wars, the Port of Southampton handled almost half of the United Kingdom's seaborne passenger traffic. During the late 20th Century, the Port of Southampton's industries became more diverse than the earlier grain-milling and tobacco-processing factories of old.

Vehicle and aircraft manufacturers came to town, as did companies producing cables, petrochemicals, and electrical engineering products. Another major employer in the Port of Southampton is headquarters offices of Ordnance Survey, the United Kingdom's national mapping agency. The city also has active healthcare and service sectors that provide as much as a quarter of the jobs available in the Port of Southampton. The city's hot water is provided through a geothermal power station, and it is one of the lowest carbon-emitting cities in the United Kingdom.

Port Authority

• Associated British Ports

• Address:Ocean Gate Atlantic Way
•  Southampton SO14 3QN United Kingdom
• Phone:023 8048 8800
• Fax:023 8033 6402
• Email:dmorrison@abports.co.uk
• Web Site:www.abports.co.uk/custinfo/ports/soton.htm

Port Description

The Port of St. Petersburg is located in the delta of the Neva River as it enters the Gulf of Finland in the middle taiga lowlands in western Russia. About 165 nautical miles east-southeast of the Port of Helsinki in Finland and about 185 nautical miles east of the Port of Tallinn in Estonia, the Port of St. Petersburg covers 42 islands in the delta and some of the mainland floodplain. The Port of St. Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia after Moscow. In 2006, over 4.5 million people lived in the Port of St. Petersburg.

The Port of St. Petersburg is an important gateway for trade and a center for industry and finance. Industries in the Port of St. Petersburg include the oil and gas trade, aerospace, electronics and radio, computers and software, and shipbuilding. Manufacturers produce heavy machinery and transport equipment, including military supplies, mining equipment, medical equipment, aluminum alloys, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, apparel, and food. The Port of St. Petersburg consists of three large commercial seaports: Bolshoi, Kronstadt, and Lomonosov. Many river ports on the Neva River create a huge complex system and make the Port of St. Petersburg the main gateway between Russia and the Baltic Sea. The Port of St. Petersburg is also one of the world's most popular cruise destinations.

Port Authority

• Port Authority of St. Petersburg

• Address:10 Gapsalskaya Str. St. Petersburg 198035 Russia
• Phone:7 812 718 8951
• Fax:7 812 327 4020
• Email:public@mail.pasp.ru
• Web Site:www.pasp.ru