Europe Container Terminals (ECT)
Container gateway to Europe
Since its foundation in 1966, ECT has expanded rapidly, growing into the largest and most advanced container terminal operator in Europe, handling most of the containers in the port of Rotterdam.
In 2007, ECT handled more than 6 million TEU. Operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 52 weeks a year, ECT operates the ECT Delta Terminal at Rotterdam’s Maasvlakte along the North Sea and the ECT Home Terminal in the Eemhaven area near the city center.
Container handling involves serving a large number of shipping lines and hinterland transport operators. Moreover, massive data flows must be efficiently managed. ECT’s terminals are at the crossroads of visible container flows and invisible information flows. Visible are the growing number of ocean-going vessels, feeders, trucks, trains and barges carrying containers. The obvious and tangible tools of ECT's business are a huge fleet of cranes and hi-tech automated vehicles. Invisible, but no less significant, are the vast data flows generated by container transport and the massive amount of planning and organisation required to make the whole operation work reliably. ECT’s highly skilled staff is permanently on 24 hours standby for its customers.