Two green lights, one red light

Antwerp: The Port of Antwerp-Bruges and PSA Antwerp has confirmed the renewal of the quayside and terminal at the Europa Terminal in a project that will consist of three phases across nine years

Cameron Thorpe, CEO of PSA Belgium, explains: “At PSA Belgium, we are delighted that construction works on the quayside are underway. This will allow us to start the transformation process of Europa Terminal with a highly sustainable investment while increasing capacity by more than700,000TEU annually.”

The €335 million (US$328million) investment will enable this terminal to receive the latest generation container vessels with water depth at the 1200mberthing line being deepened from 13.5m to 16m.

London Gateway: DP World UK has confirmed that construction work on the fourth berth at its London Gateway terminal has commenced.

The £350 million (US$385million) investment is expected to increase capacity by over 30 percent, while also making the operation fully electric when completed in approximately five years’ time.

This project is part of planned spending of around £1 billion(US$1.1 billion) in the UK by DP World.

APMT Maasvlakte: However, the position is different in Rotterdam where reports continue to circulate that APM Terminals(APMT) has decided not to pursue its Maasvlakte II expansion project, as the decision to confirm the project was originally due in June 2022.

APMT has been operating the facility since 2015 and in 2021 it contracted Ballast Nedam, Hochtiefand Van Oord to undertake the construction that will double capacity from 2.7 million TEU to 5.4million TEU by 2026. The project also planned to create additional berthing space for Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs).

However, rising construction costs, especially for steel, looks like the project will be cancelled, potentially resulting in a squeeze on available capacity at the port according to informed sources.