New Managing Director for APM Terminals Maasvlakte II

Jan Buijze, current Managing Director of APM Terminals Maasvlakte II will take on a new responsibility in the company and effective 1st April 2023 will become Regional Project Director for Africa & Europe, based in Lagos, Nigeria, with specific focus on supporting APM Terminals in Africa. Jan Buijze has spent the past four years preparing APM Terminals Maasvlakte II for the upcoming extensive expansion project with the aim of doubling terminal’s capacity. With this key project now having received necessary stakeholder approvals, it is expected to be formalised shortly, creating an opportune moment for Jan Buijze to hand over the baton to his successor.

Taking over as new Managing Director will be Harold Kunst, former CEO of MSC PSA European Terminal in Antwerp. Harold is also no stranger to APM Terminals, having started his career in A.P. Moller - Maersk in 1996 and having previously held various positions within operations at APM Terminals. Harold will officially start in the new role on 1st August and in the meantime the terminal will be temporarily managed by Rob Sponselee, former Managing Director of APM Terminals Rotterdam.

Since Jan Buijze joined MVII as Managing Director in May 2019, the fully automated terminal has carried out a robust improvement plan, increasing its competitiveness and productivity, which is also reflected in a recent record of 243.4 productive moves per hour (PMPH) achieved in February.

“APM Terminals Maasvlakte II is now ready to implement the approved expansion plans. As a result, our terminal is truly future-proof and will become the most modern and largest facility of APM Terminals in Northern Europe. This is not only important for our customers, but also for the job security of our employees. I am proud of all colleagues who have worked extremely hard to make this expansion possible. I would also like to thank the Trade Unions and Works Council for the consistently positive negotiating results, so that my successor can take over the implementation according to plans. I wish him great success!”, comments Jan Buijze.

Lars Mikael Jensen, Head of Hubs at APM Terminals, shares: “I wish Jan Buijze every success in his new and demanding role. I would like to thank him for his great track record of successful leadership, as a result of which the efficiency of the terminal has increased considerably, enabling future expansion. Jan oversaw the improvement initiative and all the necessary and often very complex and difficult preliminary processes in a calm and honest manner, which was a key success factor. I am happy to welcome Harold Kunst to the team and wish him every success in continuing this ambitious journey.”

The appointments of Harold Kunst and Rob Sponselee are still subject to the employee participation process.