0:00:38 > 0:00:40My name is Martina.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44I'm 11 years old, and I live near the port of Rotterdam.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04- TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH - The port of Rotterdam
0:01:04 > 0:01:08is the biggest and busiest port in the whole of Europe,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and it is also the fourth largest port in the world.
0:01:19 > 0:01:23It's the gateway to Europe.
0:01:23 > 0:01:26Rotterdam is often called the Europort.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Rotterdam is right on the North Sea,
0:01:38 > 0:01:41and at the mouth of two important rivers,
0:01:41 > 0:01:43the river Rhine and the river Meuse.
0:01:46 > 0:01:51We always have wind here, so we use the wind for energy.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53The wind energy is used for extra electricity.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07- IN ENGLISH - Look, this is a really big container ship!
0:02:10 > 0:02:13- TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH - I'm very connected to the port,
0:02:13 > 0:02:16because both my grandfathers worked as sea captains.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Both my parents work in the shipping industry.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28My mother organises shipments to go all over the world,
0:02:28 > 0:02:30especially to Norway and Iceland.
0:02:33 > 0:02:37The shipments of coal and quartz are used for products like silicone.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41This is used for touch screens, make-up and solar panels.
0:02:44 > 0:02:49This is EMO, the European dry bulk terminal.
0:02:49 > 0:02:51It's the largest in Europe.
0:02:53 > 0:02:57Dry bulk means things like iron ore or coal.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01- TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH - Over here, we have coal from different countries,
0:03:01 > 0:03:05like Africa, Colombia, Indonesia.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08This is the area where they unload it.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21The grab can hold 80 tonnes.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24That's about 13 elephants or 40 cars.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35The coal is used for energy in steel factories and power plants.
0:03:37 > 0:03:42It's stored here and then exported to other countries all over Europe.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48The black heaps are coal and the brown heaps are iron ore.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Many products get taken down the Rhine by boat.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Lots of products also go with really long trains.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10Everything is going somewhere.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20THEY SPEAK IN DUTCH
0:04:20 > 0:04:22My father works as a shipping agent.
0:04:22 > 0:04:26He makes sure all the ships have everything they need
0:04:26 > 0:04:27when they come into harbour.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32My dad looks after about 2,000 ships.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Sometimes my dad books tug boats for the really big ships.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Tug boats pull or push the ships into the port.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51They are very strong and powerful.
0:04:52 > 0:04:57The big ships can carry over 14,000 containers.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59The containers have everything in them -
0:04:59 > 0:05:04food, clothes, shoes, TVs, games -
0:05:04 > 0:05:06anything you can think of.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08- IN ENGLISH - This is ECT,
0:05:08 > 0:05:10the European Container Terminal.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30- IN ENGLISH - Look! There are no drivers.
0:05:34 > 0:05:38- TRANSLATED FROM DUTCH - This is where the containers are offloaded from the ships.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44Its nickname is the ghost terminal,
0:05:44 > 0:05:47because all of the machines work by themselves.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Even when it's pitch dark.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54The idea was invented here.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13SHE SPEAKS DUTCH
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Sometimes it's fun to watch the ships with my best friend, Manon.
0:06:24 > 0:06:27She's nice and she helps you out if you need help.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30And, well, she's just a really good friend.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37We chill out and watch the ships coming in.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41It will overtake the other in no time. It goes "Wheeee!"
0:06:43 > 0:06:45It goes really fast.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48My dad also books pilots and pilot boats
0:06:48 > 0:06:50to guide the ships into the port.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06They know the port so well that the foreign sea captains
0:07:06 > 0:07:09don't have to worry about how to find their way in.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13RADIO MESSAGE IN DUTCH
0:07:20 > 0:07:23The pilots are sea captains who have special training
0:07:23 > 0:07:25to be Rotterdam port pilots.
0:07:36 > 0:07:39They guide about 65,000 ships a year.
0:07:50 > 0:07:51They are fit and healthy
0:07:51 > 0:07:54because they have to climb up the side of the ships.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10I think it's scary and exciting at the same time,
0:08:10 > 0:08:13because when it's dark and you can't see anything,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16you still have to climb up the side of a really big ship.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32They also have to do this in thick fog or in rough seas.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38Every ship is going somewhere in the world,
0:08:38 > 0:08:41fetching or delivering.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50Sometimes my dad books a helicopter to bring the pilots to the ship.
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Helicopters are needed for lots of different reasons,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01like, for example, if the weather is bad,
0:09:01 > 0:09:04or if the ship is really big or far out.
0:09:08 > 0:09:12Sometimes my dad hires a helicopter when there's an accident.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Luckily, that's not very often.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18He can't keep the ships waiting,
0:09:18 > 0:09:21so the pilots need to get them in quickly.
0:09:22 > 0:09:24Huge ports are pretty exciting places.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd.