The number of oil spills in the Port of Rotterdam has gone down from 289 in 2007 to 193 last year.
Fifteen years ago there were 600 spills. Then, 200 m3 of water was polluted. The year before this was 313 m3, but this had everything to do with the accident in the eighth Petrol port. On 18 January 2007 the container ship CMA-CGM Claudel destroyed the oil landing of the Maasvlakte Oil Terminal.
Most spills take place during loading fuel and concern less than 250 liters. The number of transfers has strongly increased in the last fifteen years from eight to thirteen million tonnes.
Port master Jaap Lems ascribes the strong decrease to a strict observance policy. Every spill is verbalised, intensive reporting and control of transfer operations, and imposing strict observance of the international ‘ship-to-shore-safety checklists’.
As a result, the port’s silt is now of a much better quality: only five per cent of all dredged silt is polluted. In 1986 this was 75 per cent.
Source: https://www.portofrotterdam.com/nl/nieuws/persberichten/2009/03032009_01.jsp[Havenbedrijf Rotterdam]
