The Churchill dock, located in the middle of the harbor, will become a fully-fledged ‘Breakbulk dock’. To the south of this dock, a water-bound concession will be released, whereby Port of Antwerp has resolutely opted to develop general cargo activities there. With this, the port shows that despite the pressure on this segment due to global trade problems and the corona crisis, breakbulk remains an absolute priority and that it wants to continue to support this.
Multimodal accessible
The area around the Churchill dock has historically grown into one of the most important places for breakbulk terminals in the port. The concession in question, located in the middle of existing breakbulk activities, is 15 hectares in size and has multimodal access with immediate access to the European road, rail and inland shipping network. As a result, breakbulk goods find their way quickly and reliably from the European production and consumption centers to all corners of the world and vice versa.
Synergies between logistics players
Numerous logistics players offer various services with a high added value tailored to the customer at this location. There are, for example, service providers for the handling, assembly, quality control, packaging and storage of general cargo. This wide range of added-value services ensures that the goods are processed according to the wishes of the end customer without a lot of excess transport and handling costs.
Antwerp, home port for general cargo
The shipping of break bulk, such as steel, project cargo and forest products, requires a product-specific approach: no shipment is identical. Thanks to the “can do” mentality and the extensive experience of the many service providers, the port of Antwerp can ship almost 9 million tons of conventional general cargo with an eye for quality every year.
Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp: “Antwerp has been the breakbulk port par excellence in Europe for many centuries. As a result, all the quality, experience and flexibility is in house to provide tailor-made solutions for the customer. Breakbulk generates a high added value in the portfolio of our port, so it is crucial that we continue to promote these goods. ”
Port ships Annick De Ridder: “Breakbulk is in the DNA of the port of Antwerp and remains an absolute priority. Despite trade troubles and the economic slowdown, breakbulk remains one of our six commercial pillars. The transhipment and production of breakbulk continues unabated, thanks to the efforts that our breakbulk community is making to put our port on the map as a strong brand in terms of quality, experience and flexibility. I cannot emphasize enough that I am extremely grateful to them, they make Port of Antwerp the home of breakbulk. ”