The past preserved
Building on the future also means looking after the past. With the construction of Maasvlakte 2 no important archaeological valuables may be lost. There are statutory regulations for this, but this is also a social obligation. Prior to the construction of the land reclamation, an archaeological seabed survey will therefore be carried out. In this way more knowledge will be gained of the past. Furthermore, the correct follow-up actions then become possible. Any valuable discoveries from the past can be carefully salvaged or otherwise left undisturbed during the construction of Maasvlakte 2.

Three categories
On the Maasvlakte 2 site and in the sand extraction area, three categories of archaeological discovery can be expected:
I Discoveries from the Mesolithic period (Middle Stone Age) and the Late Palaeolithic period (Old Stone Age) in the soil strata which will be excavated for construction of harbour basins and channels at Maasvlakte 2.
II Historical shipwrecks which are lying in the seabed.
III Various objects on or just under the seabed, such as (parts of) shipwrecks. In addition there are also many non-archaeological items such as aeroplane bombs and lost cargo.

Archaeological discoveries will be brought to the surface if they hinder the construction of Maasvlakte 2. In all other cases archaeologists prefer to leave the objects in their place undisturbed. In practice this means that only in places where harbour basins and channels are to be constructed will the salvage of archaeologically valuable wrecks take place. In the sand extraction areas wrecks with archaeological value will be left undisturbed by keeping sufficient distance from them during the sand extraction operations.

Category I: Discoveries from the Mesolithic and Late Palaeolithic periods
For the construction of the harbour basins and channels at Maasvlakte 2 it is necessary to excavate in the bed of the North Sea. As a result, soil strata will be uncovered dating back to the Mesolithic period (Middle Stone Age) and the Late Palaeolithic period (Old Stone Age). In those times – as far back as 6500 years B.C. – this area was still above water. Traces of this can be expected in the seabed. Well before the real excavation work is started, an archaeological sample survey will therefore be carried out. In this way it is possible to learn more with regard to the climate and the landscape of the time. In addition, there is a very small chance of finding remains from earlier settlements or land use along the bank of the Maas, of which the estuary was at that time much more to the west. It is possible that there will be traces of the hunting, catching of birds and fishing of the time. The inhabitants also searched along the river for plants, fruits, roots and other useful items such as wood for building boats. In an earlier survey of the seabed, what are possibly the remains of either a Pleistocene dune or a river dune were found in the seabed, on the border between the present Maasvlakte and Maasvlakte 2, at the level of the Yangtzehaven. A raised piece of land such as this was often the choice place for a settlement. 

Category II: Historical shipwrecks
The location of Maasvlakte 2 was for a long time the estuary of the river. There was also a great deal of passing shipping in a north-south direction. It is therefore possible that there are old shipwrecks in the seabed. These could date back to Roman times. There is more chance however of finding ships from the 12th to the 18th century. Further investigation into the presence of shipwrecks still needs to be carried out. One of the options is to look into the seabed with special equipment, as soon as it is known exactly where on Maasvlakte 2 the channels and harbour basins are to be excavated. Ships of archaeological value which obstruct the construction will be brought to the surface in a responsible manner at the cost of the Maasvlakte 2 Project Organization. A protocol, to be specially developed, will establish how this has to be executed. 

Discoveries during construction of the Slufter
Also during the construction of the Slufter – the twenty-year-old depositary for the storage of polluted dredged material in the south-west corner of the Maasvlakte – valuable archaeological discoveries were made. This wreck for example (see photo) is the remains of a coal ship built in England around 1838, which was in service in the transport of coal between Rotterdam and the ports in North-East England. In those times it was a fairly common type of ship. It is possible that for exactly that reason nothing from this type of ship was ever preserved. This made the discovery in the Slufter reasonably special. It is likely that the ship was lost some time during the 1840s. 

Category III: Various objects on or just under the seabed
As a result of the constant movement of the sand, but also of (more) recent incidents, all kinds of objects are lying on or just under the seabed of the future Maasvlakte 2. These could be parts of shipwrecks such as a cannon, but also aeroplane bombs or lost cargo and suchlike. Only for a limited part do these objects have any archaeological value.
Archaeologists have carried out surveys in the North Sea into the presence of Category III objects and the possible archaeological value thereof. As yet, only a few objects have been found. Following a study of the data it will be determined whether these objects are worth further investigation with the help of special sonar equipment and/or divers.

The current situation
In the area of archaeology, the Maasvlakte 2 Project Organization works closely with the State Authority for Archaeological Soil Research and the Department of Archaeological Research for Rotterdam and Surrounding Districts. The preliminary investigations into the archaeological aspects of Maasvlakte 2 are now complete. These investigations were carried out by Vestigia B.V. by order of the Maasvlakte 2 Project Organization. Their work was primarily based on existing studies and other known data. Furthermore, in the case of the Category III objects, the inventory was compiled at sea.
The preliminary investigations form the input for the current milieueffectrapportage (MER) (Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)) relating to the construction of Maasvlakte 2. On the basis of the results of this EIA further (investigative) activities will take place. 

For more information with regard to the archaeological survey you may contact Imke Deibel of the Port of Rotterdam Authority.