The Port of Antwerp stated that 2018 was a record year for the Port for the sixth time in a row. Namely, the Port said that it grew in all types of cargo while it made advancements to become greener and smarter.
With expected growth of 5.1% compared with 2017, the forecasts of a 6th successive record year have been confirmed. The total freight volume in 2018 comes to 235 million tonnes, a new record.
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The large expansion in container freight continues, reaching 130 million tonnes (up 5.8%) or 11 million TEU (up 5.5%). Liquid and solid bulk for their part increased by respectively 4.5% (to 76.5 million tonnes) and 5% (to 12.8 million tonnes), while breakbulk grew 1.8% (to 15.6 million tonnes).
This increase confirmed forecasts that the maximum container capacity will very soon be reached so that additional container handling capacity is urgently needed.
Port Authority CEO Jacques Vandermeiren, mentioned:
We are already far beyond the optimum capacity limits in the terminals below the locks, with serious consequences for efficiency. We therefore continue to insist that additional container capacity below the locks is urgently needed
Moreover, the Antwerp Port Authority is collaborating with the rest of the port community to develop structural solutions for reducing the pressure on mobility both for freight and for private transport.
For freight transport the target is to achieve a significant modal shift by 2030, reducing the proportion of freight that travels by road from 55% to 43%. Another aim is to double the proportion of rail transport, bringing it to 15%. The proportion of freight carried by barge is set to increase from the already high level of 38% to 42%.
What is more, the change to a circular low-carbon economy is a main objective. Over the next three years the Port Authority will invest no less than 35 million euros in innovative sustainability projects. In addition, it will attempt to advnace alternative sustainable fuels such as LNG and hydrogen.
Finally, the Port Authority aims to become an open and innovative hub for the introduction of new technologies. The ambition is to establish a digital nervous system covering the entire port with among other things smart cameras, sensors and drones to give full monitoring. This will make it possible to respond directly to events in the port. In addition, data will be more transparent and available to all players in the supply chain thanks to NxtPort, the data platform for the port that was set up nearly two years ago.
