Short sea shipping sustained by a vast state of the art railway network will be the topic of discussion by the Port of Zeebrugge at Coastlink.

LieveDuprezPhoto3

Lieve Duprez, Chief Officer Shortsea at the Port of Zeebrugge will present at Coastlink 2022 in the session focussed on the importance of ‘Building connectivity & networks for the future – linking short sea shipping to intermodal transport routes’. The main short sea terminals at the Port of Zeebrugge are linked daily to the European hinterland with a high frequency of rail connections. From the port, cargo is shipped to various markets in the UK, Scandinavia, the Baltic region, and Southern Europe.

In 2021 the Port of Zeebrugge realised a 4.6% growth with total tonnage handled by the port reaching just in excess of 49.169m. Roll on/Roll off traffic experienced a growth of 5.1%. With the UK being the largest trading partner for the Port of Zeebrugge, Brexit posed an unprecedented challenge. To be optimally prepared for the new way of doing business with the UK, Port of Zeebrugge invested in RX/SeaPort, a digital data platform.

The Port reported that the existing connections to Ireland proved to be an absolute asset in the pre-and post-Brexit era. In 2021, traffic volumes on UK liner services decreased by 4.1% however, in contrast, traffic volumes to Irish destinations were up 38.7%. Shortsea operators helped to ensure that UK traffic via Ireland reached the United Kingdom. Other shortsea ro-ro destinations also showed good growth: Scandinavia +10.4%, and Southern Europe +22.8%.

Join Lieve and representatives from the Port of Zeebrugge at Coastlink 2022, taking place on 11 & 12th May at the prestigious Port House at the Port of Antwerp.

Take the opportunity to participate in the debate on the future opportunities for growth in short sea shipping, and network with delegates and our expert speakers as they cover the following topics:

  • Market Sector Overview: Industry Challenges and New Opportunities for Short Sea & Feeder Shipping
  • Building Connectivity & Networks for the future – linking Short Sea & Feeder Shipping to Intermodal Transport Routes
  • Looking to the future – Improving efficiencies through Digitalisation & Innovation

Book now to secure one of the remaining delegate places at Coastlink. Bookings can be made online or if preferred, call Joanna Miller on the dedicated Coastlink team on +44 1329 825335 for further information, or email info@coastlink.co.uk.