The Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the largest in the entire Western Hemisphere. Located less than 24 hours by road or rail from every EU capitol, it has for decades been the heartbeat of the European Union, and a cornerstone of the entire world's economy. But now, that cornerstone is in danger of collapse. With 90% of products today shipped by container, Rotterdam's container terminals are nearing capacity, threatening to become a trade bottleneck that could cripple a continent already devastated by recession.
To make sure this doesn't happen, the Port of Rotterdam has launched the Maasvlakte 2 Project — an ambitious $4 billion plan to triple the port's container capacity by 2013. But in a country with literally nowhere else to build, that means undertaking the biggest land reclamation project in history, turning 8 square miles of the stormy North Sea into Europe's new gateway to the world. And it's much more than just earth-moving. To keep the port running 24-7, they're building 3 new power plants, and to house the army of workers servicing Europe's largest construction project, they are building the biggest hotel in the Netherlands — entirely from recycled shipping containers.
To plan for the future, everything at the Maasvlakte 2 will be super-sized to accommodate the mammoth container ships of the future. Upon completion, it will be the most valuable port facility ever, providing the largest ships in the world direct connection to Europe's industrial heartland. Build it Bigger has unprecedented access to all aspects of this amazing project, as engineers literally reshape the Dutch coast, all while keeping one of the world's busiest ports up and running.
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