For decades Spido has been running boat tours
through the world’s largest port. Meanwhile the programme has expanded
into 8 different tours. The most popular remains the 75 minite Rotterdam
Harbour Tour. This
tour is limited to the older city docks. This means that you get to
see a lot of docks, some of which have been put to new functions, some
are still used for processing cargo and most offer nice views on the
city skyline from the water.
During July and August Spido offers an
expanded tour (2:30 hrs long), covering the petroleum docks in the
Botlek area where the Shell and Exxon refineries
are based. Thu/Fri and Sat (July) or Sun (Aug) twice daily.
.
A tour to latest addition to the Rotterdam Port complex takes 7,5 hours and takes you to the Maasvlakte 2. Maasvlakte 2 is the expansion of the port of Rotterdam. A new top European location for port activities and industry was created immediately to the west of the present port and industrial area. When the construction of Maasvlakte 2 began in 2008, the sea there was 17 metres deep. Maasvlakte 2 existed on no map, except for the design drawings. Maasvlakte 2 encompasses 1,000 hectares net of industrial ground, located directly on 20 metre deep water. The tour a includes a visit to Futureland, the project's visitor center. The tour is offered in July (Tue and Sun) and August (Tue and Sat) and on the last Saturday of every other month of the year. Reservations required.
For more information have a look at the Spido website: www.spido.nl
The ships leave from Willemsplein next to the
Erasmus bridge
Public Transport: tram line 7
phone: (010) 275 99 88 (for tours and information).