Second opinion on costs and benefits of capacity expansion of the Maasgeul (Dutch)
The Maasgeul is an obligatory fairway between the North Sea and the Port of Rotterdam for vessels with deep draft. The Port of Rotterdam Authority expects the number of ships that must use the Maasgeul to increase so sharply that safe and smooth vessel traffic handling is at risk. One of the solutions to this potential problem is an expansion of the Maasgeul. Commissioned by the Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, RIGO Research en Advies BV conducted a social cost-benefit analysis of a Maasgeul capacity expansion. The RIGO research is one of the cornerstones of an exploratory study into the Maasgeul’s future capacity.
This report is available in Dutch.
In a Second Opinion on this social cost-benefit analysis, the Netherlands Institute for Transport Policy Analysis concludes that, even in times of great uncertainty, the social benefits of expanding the Maasgeul are greater than the social costs. This is in agreement with the conclusion of RIGO’s research. To the extent that KiM can ascertain, RIGO properly followed the requirements of an indicator cost-benefit analysis. KiM does however question some of starting points used in the calculations and assumptions, but this does not result in KiM reaching a different final conclusion. KiM believes that the chosen option of expanding the Maasgeul over the longer term is not robust enough. Expanding the Maasgeul will deliver in 2015 a substantial reduction in ship waiting times, which will steadily increase in the following years.