2. What do you think are the advantages and disadvantages of developing the Fruit Port? The port of Rotterdam, the largest and busiest in the world, covers nearly 5000 hectares and has over 60 km of dockside berths. Around 32,000 ships use the port each year, handling nearly 300 million tonnes of cargo. Apart from being a vital link in the supply chains of countless organizations, the port provides services to the transportation companies that ship goods through it. It is in this role – as provider of services – where it sees its future, as developing ‘partnership’

arrangements with its major customers. Competition in the port business is fierce. Rotterdam is acutely aware of the intense competition from other large European ports such as Hamburg, Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Bremen. Forming partnerships with its customers is a response to such competitive pressures