Zeebrugge Port, a Real Container Hub for Europe

www.shippingchina.com 2009-06-03 09:36:08

      Zeebrugge Port, located at the North Sea Coast in Flanders, is not only an intra-European roro port, but also a port that is linked up to the four corners of the world by intercontinental liner services. It is about transport of cars, conventional cargo, and last but not least containers.

       Zeebrugge Port’s trump card is its large maritime accessibility for container transport. The port guarantees in the access chenal and along the quays in the outer port an average water depth of 16 meters, regardless of the tide. Hence, Zeebrugge can receive the largest container carriers in the world, vessels up to 15,000 TEUs. Zeebrugge has two state of the art container terminals for the handling of the largest container ships. They are equipped with super post panamax cranes. Zeebrugge handles annually more than 2,000,000 TEUs. With the future development of the infrastructure at the Albert II dock they can double the volume up to 5,000,000 TEUs.

       “Because of the scaling-up of the container carriers, the shipping companies must limit the number of ports of call in Europe. As a result, many containers are transhipped in Zeebrugge onto smaller vessels, called feeder vessels, for transport to final destination in the UK, Scandinavia … turning our port into a real container hub for Europe.” Zeebrugge Port Chairman Mr. Coens said proudly.