Ports of Antwerp & Zeebrugge to join forces

15 Feb 2021 / Belgium

The City of Antwerp and the City of Bruges have reached an agreement to merge their respective ports. The two-city agreement marks the start of a unification process that is expected to take a year to finalise. Once completed, the ports will operate under the name ‘Port of Antwerp-Bruges’.

As a result of the merger, the ports will be able to strengthen their position within the global supply chain and continue their course towards sustainable growth...

…The merged port will become the most important container port (157 million tonnes/year), one of the largest break bulk ports and the largest port for the throughput of vehicles in Europe. Furthermore, the port will account for more than 15% of Europe’s liquid natural gas transited and it will remain Europe's most important chemical hub. Finally, it will be the largest port for cruise ships in the Benelux. With a total throughput of 278 million tonnes per year, the unified port will be able to consolidate its leading position in the world…

… Antwerp specialises in the handling and storage of containers, break bulk and chemical products, while Zeebrugge is a major port for RoRo traffic, container handling and the transhipment of liquid natural gas. Working more closely together will make it possible to consolidate sustainable growth, not only of each port's individual market share, but also of the joint market share of both ports together…

…Port of Antwerp-Bruges will seek to develop and make optimum use of the interconnectivity between the two ports. The transportation of goods by rail between the two sites will be bundled, estuary traffic (by inland vessels on the North Sea) will be optimised and pipeline connections will also be on the list of priorities.

Committed strategic investments, such as the new sea lock in Zeebrugge and the additional container capacity in Antwerp, will go ahead. Future investments will be evaluated from a unified operational perspective, so that both port platforms will benefit, and the port continues to meet its customers' expectations…

…In the near future, a unified organisational structure and way of working will be developed, while respecting one another's DNA and corporate culture. Transparent, long-term agreements will be made with regard to the leadership and management of Port of Antwerp-Bruges…

(For information about operations in Belgium, contact GAC Belgium at [email protected])

Source: Extracts from Port of Antwerp (www.portofantwerp.com) news release dated 12 February 2021

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