The Nieuwe Maas is a distributary of the Rhine River located in the Dutch province of South Holland. It runs approximately 24 kilometres from the confluence of the rivers Noord and Lek near Ridderkerk, flowing west through Rotterdam before meeting the Oude Maas near Vlaardingen to form the Scheur. The river passes through some of the most densely populated and industrially developed areas in the Netherlands, with numerous harbours and industrial facilities lining its banks.

For paddlers, the defining characteristic of the Nieuwe Maas is its extremely heavy and complex vessel traffic. Sea-going vessels, barges, passenger ships, harbour tour boats, and fast water taxis all share the waterway simultaneously, creating a demanding and potentially dangerous environment. The Dutch Safety Board investigated a serious collision that occurred on 21 July 2022 near the Erasmus Bridge in central Rotterdam, in which a harbour tour boat and a water taxi collided, resulting in the water taxi capsizing and sinking with the skipper and five passengers briefly trapped underneath. The Safety Board concluded that the volume and variety of traffic on the Nieuwe Maas requires significantly more direction and professionalisation from all waterway users, and that safe navigation is only possible when all skippers are fully aware of their behaviour and consistently comply with applicable rules.

Given this traffic environment, paddlers considering the Nieuwe Maas should be aware that they would be sharing the water with large commercial and passenger vessels in a busy urban waterway. The complexity of the traffic situation and the Safety Board's findings about compliance and collision risk are directly relevant to any human-powered craft operating on this river.