Eyeing future growth

Antwerp@C consortium has completed its feasibility studies and is preparing to enter the design phase.

The project, an initiative by Air Liquide, BASF, Borealis, ExxonMobil, INEOS, TotalEnergies, Fluxys and Port of Antwerp, has the potential to reduce CO2 emissions in the Port of Antwerp by half by 2030. It will do this by capturing CO2 and using it or storing it permanently.

Increased growth

The ports itself has experienced growth in the first half of 2021 which is helping it move ahead with its future growth projects.

During the first six months of 2021, 120 million tonnes were transhipped through the Port of Antwerp, an increase of 5% compared with the same period last year, despite the impact of the ongoing pandemic.

Transhipments with the UK and Ireland also show positive figures; showing that the expanded shortsea connections in response to Brexit are proving effective for the port.

In preparation for Brexit, Antwerp put all its efforts into further expanding short sea connections with the UK and Ireland in order to achieve the modal shift from ferry to container transport.

Five years after the Brexit referendum, the Port of Antwerp is now connected with 12 British and Irish ports. The port said that Irish importers and exporters are increasingly abandoning the land bridge over the UK and are instead opting for a direct maritime connection, saving both time and emissions.

This way, cargo remains within the European Union and British customs formalities and duties are bypassed.