ANTWERP PORT

The Port of Antwerp is in the port of the city of Antwerp, Belgium. It is located in Flanders, mainly in the province of Antwerp, but also partially in East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to capsize ships. It is Europe’s second-largest seaport, after that of Rotterdam. Antwerp stands at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt. The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons as far as 80 km inland. Like the Port of Hamburg, the Port of Antwerp’s inland location provides a more central location in Europe than the majority of North Sea ports. Antwerp’s docks are connected to the hinterland by rail, road, and river and canal waterways. As a result, the port of Antwerp has become one of Europe’s largest seaports, ranking second behind Rotterdam by total freight shipped. Its international rankings vary from 11th to 20th (AAPA). In 2012, the Port of Antwerp handled 14,220 sea trade ships (190.8 million tons of cargo, 53.6% in containers), 57,044 inland barges (123.2 million tons of cargo), and offered liner services to 800 different maritime destinations.

In October 2010, the port approved a long-term investment plan, worth 1.6 billion Euros over the next 15 years. The port would improve existing facilities, and acquire land from General Motors, which is closing its Antwerp factory. Unlike the Port of Rotterdam, which has been able to expand westwards along the river Maas to Euro port and extend into the North Sea with Maasvlakte, Antwerp has little scope for further westward expansion. The northern (right bank) docks already reach the Dutch border, and on the left bank Belgium has a nuclear power plant downstream of the Deurganck dock.

In October 2019, the Port of Antwerp began using a dual-fuel tug that is powered by hydrogen and diesel (called HydroTug). The port signed an agreement with the Port of Nagoya on 7 December 2022, extending an agreement between the ports first established in 1988.

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