One year after the merger, Port of Antwerp-Bruges looks back with satisfaction
Port of Antwerp-Bruges will be blowing out one candle on 22 April. The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge decided last year to proceed under a single banner, resulting in an exciting synergy. But how does that manifest and what does the merger mean now, one year later?
The merger of the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge last year profoundly reshaped the Western European maritime landscape. The brand-new, unified port did not hide its ambitions. ‘We aim to become a world port that reconciles economy, people and climate,’ it said. New investments and projects confirm the attractiveness of the unified port – this being despite today’s difficult geopolitical context.
The unification significantly accelerated the already existing innovation and energy ambitions of both port authorities. After all, an increase in scale brings with it greater political and economic clout. This is how Port of Antwerp-Bruges is positioning itself today as a major player in the import, local production, processing and throughput of green hydrogen and hydrogen carriers (such as ammonia and methanol) to the hinterland. Some concrete hydrogen projects are now ready to be rolled out.
Over the past year, Port of Antwerp-Bruges has increasingly emerged as a crucial link in the international logistics chain. Today, for example, 15% of the total supply of LNG and natural gas to Europe arrives via the Zeebrugge port platform. One year earlier, this was about 8%. This makes Port of Antwerp-Bruges one of the main access routes for gas to the European hinterland. In terms of energy supply and transition, the merged port intends to continue its pioneering role in the future.
The integration process for transforming the various digital applications into a single system is well underway. Geographical data from the Zeebrugge platform has since been integrated into the Digital Twin (a virtual copy of the port), and real-time data (e.g. air quality sensors) has also been linked to it.
Container volumes
The fact that the ports can complement one another where necessary is reflected, among other things, in the shift of container volumes from Antwerp to Zeebrugge. Because Antwerp was at its limit in terms of container capacity last year, companies were able to divert to the Zeebrugge platform for their container handling. So container volumes can now be spread across two platforms – a win-win for both Port of Antwerp-Bruges and the logistics players.
Non-stop process
Both port platforms share some common challenges that they are now addressing together. Take, for example, the current shortages in the job market. Port of Antwerp-Bruges recently launched the jobs site www.havenjobs.com. By including vacancies from both Antwerp and Zeebrugge port authorities, the website reaches a broad Flemish audience. This expanded geographical reach gives a huge boost to the competitiveness and attractiveness of the port authorities in the job market.