Maascenter is an important

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navigation, ...

point for ships entering the

Port of Rotterdam The Port of Rotterdam is the largest seaport in Europe, and the world's largest seaport outside of East Asia, located in and near the city of Rotterdam, in the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. From 1962 until 2004, it was the List o ...

. In principle Maascenter is a

buoy A buoy () is a floating device that can have many purposes. It can be anchored (stationary) or allowed to drift with ocean currents. Types Navigational buoys * Race course marker buoys are used for buoy racing, the most prevalent form of yac ...

before the coast of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. Another important buoy in the neighborhood is the Maasgeul buoy as this is where the

Eurogeul The Eurogeul or Euromaasgeul is a channel dug in the North Sea in conjunction with the Port of Rotterdam. It has a length of 57 km and a depth of 23 meters. Use The Eurogeul is a so-called ''deep water route'' in the '' Traffic Separation Sc ...

ends and the

Maasgeul The Eurogeul or Euromaasgeul is a channel dug in the North Sea in conjunction with the Port of Rotterdam. It has a length of 57 km and a depth of 23 meters. Use The Eurogeul is a so-called ''deep water route'' in the '' Traffic Separation Sc ...

starts.Port of Rotterdam
Port Information Guide
March, 2012. Retrieved: 30 April 2012 Maascenter buoy is also the

pilot station Pilot Station ( esu, Tuutalgaq) is a city in Kusilvak Census Area, Alaska, United States. The population was 568 at the 2010 census, up from 550 in 2000. Geography Pilot Station is located at (61.936050, -162.883403), on the northern bank of t ...

where ships entering the port get their pilot on board(except for ships with a draft > 14 meters as they get their pilot on board before entering the

. For these ships Maascemter is also important as they will meet their

tugboat A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, su ...

s at this point.). Ships with destination Rotterdam (that require a pilot) need to contact the traffic-centre 24 hours before expected arrival (ETA) at Maascenter

Sources

Buoyage Port of Rotterdam