The first mechanization wave in coal and ore handling as an example of patterns of technological innovation in the port of Rotterdam

Abstract

Since 1885, a series of new cargo-handling techniques have been introduced in the port of Rotterdam. These technological innovations were not unique to Rotterdam. The strong increase of the volume of cargo flows and the scaling-up of the seagoing vessels have stimulated technological innovations in the European ports in general since the latter part of the nineteenth century. The development of the cargo-handling technology has, however, also been determined by the interference of deep-sea shipping with the modes of inland transport by barge, railway, truck, and pipeline. It is particularly in this respect, that ports differ from each other and that the cargo handling technology can get a specific local flavour. Furthermore, the specific needs of the shippers and receivers of cargo and the existing trade practices have influenced the method of cargo handling in the ports in different manners’.