The Maasvlakte is part of Europoort, a harbour and industrial area near the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands.It was created in the 1960s by reclaiming land from the North Sea through dykes and sand suppletion. The sand for the suppletion was largely taken from the North Sea and the Lake of Oostvoorne. This lake was created by the construction of the Maasvlakte. Fossils were (and can still be) found in the sand. Before the completion of the Maasvlakte it was a sandbank which was hazardous to shipping. In September 2008 work has started on the "Second Maasvlakte" or Maasvlakte 2: the existing area is being expanded and in 2013 the new harbours in the Maasvlakte 2 will be opened for commercial use. By spraying sand in the North Sea the port of Rotterdam will be extended by some 2.000 hectares.