Maasvlakte 2 The sustainable port (pdf, 6427Kb)

50Air qualityThe air quality in the Rijnmond areacurrently fails to meet the Europeanstandards at every given location.At a number of points along theA15 motorway, the traffic’semission levels for nitrogen dioxideand airborne particulate matterexceed the standard. The NetherlandsEnvironmental AssessmentAgency (MNP) expects air qualityto improve clearly over the next fewyears, thanks to improvedtechnology and cleaner engines.Strict measures will be introducedto this effect in Maasvlakte 2,working in collaboration with theMunicipality of Rotterdam.Examples include less and cleanertruck haulage, environmentalzoning and cleaner inland vessels.In addition, the Government, theMunicipality of Rotterdam, theProvince of South Holland and thePort of Rotterdam have jointlyconcluded an ‘Air Covenant’. Thisagreement guarantees the timelyimplementation of the correctmeasures at the correct locations.An added bonus of theenvironmental measures taken atMaasvlakte 2 is that their positiveeffect extends far beyond theRijnmond region; everyone willprofit from the cleaner engines ofthe trucks and inland vessels.LightLike the present Maasvlakte,Maasvlakte 2 will see continuousoperation throughout the night.This will result in light radiation.The main share of the light will beemitted by the container terminals.There are no legal standards inplace yet with regard to lightradiation or visibility, whereas suchstandards do exist for sound andair, for example. Nevertheless, theeffects were studied in the contextof the Environmental ImpactAssessment. Furthermore, the PortAuthority will still be investigatinghow to limit the light emission as faras possible. This is also inspired by