Study trip to Rotterdam
Rotterdam, second largest city of the Netherlands, is the gateway to Europe. Recognised for the quality of its facilities, it is a key location for global maritime transport, the perfect site for students to gain a deeper understanding of the industry. The port of Rotterdam is particularly well suited to container, groupage and vehicle shipping of all sizes. With more than 1,000 ports served, it provides solid solutions for intra-European and global freight.
Study trip agenda
After traveling to their destination, the study trip began with a free tour of Rotterdam. The students were able to discover and explore the city upon arrival.
On the second day, the students attended a series of conferences organised by the Port of Rotterdam Authority. These lectures highlighted current industry trends, the role of the port authority and its plans for transformation towards digitalisation and sustainability.
Having the opportunity to go and visit Rotterdam was really interesting and enlightening as it’s particular to see the operations of the biggest port in Europe. We were received in the World Port Center, where the port Authority is based, and at the Customs office, by professionals that explained their daily activities but also trends and innovations in the industry.
On the last day, the students were able to visit the Dutch customs facilities, some of the port's terminals (45km long) including the automated terminal of Maasvlakte, which are used to receive the largest transoceanic ships. They then visited BCTN's private inland barge terminal in Alblasserdam, which gave them a better understanding of the nature of the local port business and its strong interrelationship with the European economy. In particular the role played in relieving road traffic congestion, environmental sustainability and increasing container throughput for the Port of Rotterdam. The day ended with a visit to the typical village of Kinderdijk, at the confluence of two rivers, where there are many windmills.
It was a very nice way to end our studies, as we could actually see what we learned, materialized in the operations of the port and in the customs.
Through this trip, which will remain an exceptional memory of their studies at KEDGE Business School, second year students also celebrated the end of their course period before starting their internship.
Master the commercial and strategic challenges of transport and logistics with KEDGE's International Trade & Logistics courses
The international dimension is at the heart of the International Trade & Logistics programmes to enable students to master the commercial and strategic issues related to logistics in its entirety (transport, supply chain management, storage, customs, information systems). They learn and experience through real-life cases the techniques of intercultural negotiation, flow management and international marketing.
Connected to the needs of companies, these programmes train managers with cross-disciplinary skills, capable of defining and leading a development strategy for the company or production unit for which they work. The targeted sectors of activity are varied: transporters, transport service providers, logisticians, central purchasing agencies, international trade, the food industry, mass distribution, consulting and all types of shippers... This opens up numerous job opportunities for graduates.
