Europe’s largest port, Rotterdam, is preparing for a potential conflict with Russia by planning to allocate space for military cargo vessels and implementing a strategy to reroute commercial shipping traffic in the event of war.

Axar.az reports that this was stated by Boudewijn Siemons, CEO of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, in an interview with the Financial Times.

“Rotterdam works in close coordination with its neighboring port, Antwerp. Not every terminal is suitable for handling military cargo. If large volumes need to be managed, Antwerp and other ports will take on part of the load. We increasingly see each other less as competitors—we compete where necessary, but we cooperate wherever we can,” Siemons said.

According to him, such military vessels are expected to dock four to five times a year, each time staying for several weeks.

“The only area in the port where ammunition can be safely transferred from one vessel to another is the container terminal,” he added.