Targeted collaboration between Flemish ports

Tuesday 07 05 2013

On behalf of Antwerp Port Authority, CEO Eddy Bruyninckx signed a collaboration agreement on 18 April along with Flemish minister of Transport Hilde Crevits and representatives of Ghent, Ostend and Zeebrugge port authorities. Based on 30 action points the Flemish ports will collaborate in a targeted way to improve their international competitive position.

“The motto of the Antwerp port community has long been ‘Strong through collaboration,’” declared Eddy Bruyninckx. “As the second largest port in Europe, Antwerp is delighted to lay the groundwork along with the other Flemish ports so that Flanders can consolidate its leading position in Europe in 2020. But we must never forget that we can only achieve results if we take account of our customers. The whole point of collaborating is to create added value for all the ports involved. This agreement confirms the form of local port governance as the best way to ensure competitive operation of the ports. But it can only succeed if the necessary subsidiary conditions are assured by the Flemish and federal authorities.” He also thanked minister Crevits for coming up with a document that can command general support, including contributions by private companies, covering the many fields in which the ports already work well together.

“The current situation is that we are the market leader on most trade routes. It is important to defend this position strongly and to develop it further.” Antwerp and Zeebrugge are also collaborating to develop their market share in the expanding container trade between Asia and North-West Europe.

In addition to economic and promotional collaboration there will also be initiatives in the field of logistics. These will focus on measures to permit better hinterland access by rail, barge and pipeline. Thus Ghent and Antwerp port authorities are carrying out discussions with a view to setting up consolidation and unhitching points for container barges bound for France, and are jointly searching for long-term solutions to assure distributed rail transport.