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Sustainable transport<br />
The Port of Amsterdam is a junction for major international transport<br />
flows. The Port of Amsterdam promotes efficient and environmentally<br />
friendly transport. Among other measures, the Port favors a move<br />
away from road haulage toward transport by rail or water.<br />
The Port of Amsterdam is investing in many matters to improve the<br />
whole logistics system, including bringing together cargo flows to<br />
make it economically feasible to transport the goods by train and<br />
barge and to set up new shuttle services using these two modes of<br />
transport. A case in point is the AMSbarge (also see page 37). This<br />
innovative system is yielding strong environmental benefits: better<br />
air quality (reduced emissions of CO2, fine dust and other pollutants),<br />
improved traffic safety, less noise pollution and reduced energy use.<br />
Within the port area itself, there is also a strong focus on sustainable<br />
transport. One example is the Westpoort Bus – a non-public bus<br />
service moving employees within the port area between Sloterdijk<br />
Station and their company sites. It is a joint initiative taken by the<br />
Port of Amsterdam, port-based companies and the Traffic Advice<br />
foundation. The Westpoortbus service grew from 6 participating<br />
companies in 2003 to 17 in <strong>2006</strong>. Each day, some 800 people use<br />
this 24-hour service.<br />
‘My future<br />
lies here’<br />
Since September <strong>2006</strong>, I’ve been training as a<br />
port employee. The whole training program will<br />
take two years. I go to school one day a week<br />
and work four days. Every three months, I am<br />
transferred to another company active in the<br />
port, handling general cargo, dry bulk or cocoa.<br />
Why I like working in the port? First of all, you<br />
make good money. And the work is always varied.<br />
Loading and unloading ships. Operating all<br />
sorts of forklift trucks. There’s a good atmosphere,<br />
with no one breathing down your neck. In the<br />
morning, you hear what needs to be done. As<br />
long as you get the job done, you can do pretty<br />
much your own thing. It’s nice working in the<br />
port, being outdoors and all that. I used to work<br />
in a store, but that’s not for me. I live in Hoorn,<br />
and Amsterdam isn’t that far away. As far as I’m<br />
concerned, my future lies here.<br />
Martijn hollak<br />
Is receiving training as a port employee from the<br />
BBL (on-the-job training program)
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