Full speed ahead for Antwerp-Bruges, sir!
The project has now been given the official green light. The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge have merged after an extraordinary general meeting on 22 April 2022, the merger process having started in February 2021. Besides 74,000 direct and 90,000 indirect jobs, the merged port has an added value of nearly EUR 21 billion or 4.5% of Belgium’s GDP. United, the port handles a total of 159 million t per year of containerised cargo and 147 million t per year in exports.
The two sides of the partnership will work in parallel on extending their capacities with the 'container plan 22-30', with investments in infrastructure, such as the Europa Terminal in Antwerp and the New Lock and the Maritime Logistics Zone in Zeebrugge.
Furthermore, the port of Antwerp-Bruges, the world’s second-largest petrochemical cluster, is pushing its position as a green energy hub.
By 2028, the port of Antwerp-Bruges plans to have the capacity to receive the first green hydrogen molecules on its platform. To this end, it is working to expand terminal capacity for existing and new hydrogen carriers at both port sites. The plan involves building a hydrogen pipeline between the two sites and towards the European hinterland. (sh)