Port visit Port of Antwerp

18 April 2007

Leaving IHE by bus at 08h00 at the latest

Bring your passport or ID
Clothing and shoes for outside conditions according to the weather
Lunch will be provided
ETA Delft 18h00

Antwerp 18 april
Programme
08h00

10h30

Departure by coach, Unesco-IHE

building , Delft
Welcome at the Havenhuis, Port of
Antwerp Authority

Mr. T. van Autgaerden

Presentation Case Study Renovation

Delwaidedock

Mr. T. van Autgaerden

12h00

Visit Harbour Center Lillo

12h30
13h00

Lunch
Port Tour by coach

15h30

return trip to Delft

Pass along some Delta Works
structures, depending on the situation

18h00

E.T.A. Delft

Mr. D. Brentjens

PORT OF ANTWERP
Source: www.portofantwerp.com,
CARGO HANDLING
General
The Port of Antwerp handles more than 160 million tonnes of cargo per year (55% incoming and
45% outgoing traffic).
This volume makes Antwerp the second largest port in Europe and the fourth largest in the world.
A little under half of Antwerp's goods traffic consists of bulk such as coal, ores, fertilisers, grains
and so on. Antwerp also handles large quantities of breakbulk. The various port operators have
invested heavily in specialised handling installations for trades such as iron and steel, fruit, forest
products, cars, dangerous goods and sugar.
In 2005 the volume of containerised goods came to 74.6 million tonnes, or 6.5 million TEU.

CONTAINER TRAFFIC ANTWERP

7
MILLION TEU

6
5
4

Loaded

Empty

2
1

19
90
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05

In terms of tonnage as well as of TEU Antwerp is the third largest container port in the Le HavreHamburg range, after Rotterdam and Hamburg, and has a market share of over 20 %.
Antwerp in the Le Havre-Hamburg range
Overall traffic in 2004 (in 1,000 tonnes)
Port

Unloaded

Loaded

Total

Rotterdam

271.011

81.348

352.359

Antwerp

83.109

69.217

152.326

Hamburg

67.645

46.839

114.484

Le Havre

56.752

19.423

76.175

Amsterdam

55.960

17.216

73.176

Bremen

28.199

24.086

52.285

Dunkirk

37.634

13.365

50.999

Zeebrugge

16.164

15.631

31.795

Ghent

20.663

4.293

24.956

Source: Antwerp Port Authority

With its 2,000 ha (including 480 ha of covered warehouse capacity) Antwerp has more handling
capacity available than any other European port. Goods are not only stocked, but distributed,
assembled, packaged and controlled. The industrial area totalises about 4,000 ha. The Antwerp

petrochemical industry is second largest worldwide. Another important activity in the port is the
car manufacturing industry.
Petrochemical industry
Antwerp is the largest petrochemical complex in Europe and worldwide second only to Houston,
Texas. On the other hand, Antwerp produces a much wider variety of chemical products, leaving
even Houston behind.
The explanation for these concentrations lies in the cluster effect. The possibility of continuous
on-line exchanges of raw materials and commodity products means that the industry tends to
choose locations close to existing chemical and petrochemical plants and refineries, creating a
cluster. The bigger the cluster, the more attractive it is to new locations.
Warehouses
Antwerp has 4.8 million m2 of warehousing space, far more than any other European port.
Many warehouses have been specially equipped for a specific trade. There are silos for cereals,
coffee, cement, plastics, white sand and wine; reefer tanks for fruit juice; warehouses for coffee,
tea, tobacco, sugar, chemicals, kaolin and forest products. Cold stores have been built for tropical
fruit, meat, fish and dairy products, while oils and fats are stored in specialised tank farms.
Furthermore there is ample storage space for cargoes with special temperature and ventilation
requirements. Warehouse complexes have, for example, been built that meet the strictest
national and European standards for the warehousing of dangerous products in conditions
offering the greatest guarantees of fire prevention and fire-fighting, personal protection and
environmental safety.
Antwerp thus offers suitable warehousing and handling for every product imaginable.
Integrated logistics and supply chain management
Quite a few multinational companies have built warehouses in the port area and launched their
own distribution operations.
The majority though prefers to find a specialised local partner. There is no shortage of the latter,
and many port operators have specialised in contract distribution, offering their customers a wide
and flexible choice of services. These services range from pre-assembly, labelling, quality control
and inventory management to after-sales and maintenance services. As suppliers of logistic
services, they are capable of taking the entire management of the supply and information chain
over from the customer. They provide the required storage space or build suitable warehouses in
partnership with the customer.
Integrated logistics and supply chain management goes further than optimising specific
components of the logistic chain. It looks at the whole and attempts to ensure that all the
individual elements are closely attuned to one another, so that the entire chain will operate like a
well-oiled machine. Computers and IT play an increasingly important role in establishing and
operating logistic chains. Antwerp's forwarders and distribution specialists have been quick to
respond, and design, implement, and manage entire logistics systems tailored to the specific
needs of each customer.This allows manufacturers to concentrate on the core business and to
leave the logistics to specialists.
INFRASTRUCTURE
Access Channel
Antwerp depends on the Scheldt for its links with the maritime foreland. Intensive dredging has
systematically improved the navigability of this tidal river.
Nowadays ships with draughts of up to 50' 6" (15.39 m) can reach the port on a single tide.
Draughts of up to 51' (15.54 m) can reach the port on two tides.
The average non-tidal draught for outgoing ships is 40' 3" (12.30 m). If the tidal windows are
properly taken into account, ships with a draught of 46' (14 m) can sail downriver to the North
Sea. Ships with a length of 335 m and a width of 55 m have no difficulty in using the Scheldt.
The completion of further deepening works will permit tide-independent navigation for draughts
up to 46' (14 m).

Shipping locks
LOCKS IN ANTWERP

L (m)

W (m)

D (m)

Zandvliet

500

57

17.75

Boudewijn

360

45

14.50

Van Cauwelaert

270

35

14.00

Royers

182.5

22

10.58

Kallo

360

50

16.00

Berendrecht

500

68

17.75

Container Terminals
Over the years various berths for container carriers have been built on the right bank of the
Scheldt, including the Leopold dock, the Churchill dock and the Delwaide dock (all 3 above the
locks). These were followed by berths below the locks (saving several hours locking time): the
Europa Terminal (1987) and the Noordzee Terminal (1997)
However, this was still not enough to keep pace with the 10 to 15 percent annual growth in
container volume, so alternatives were sought on the left bank. In 1998 the Flemish Government
decided to build the Deurganck dock, in a tidal dock accessible to container ships directly from
the Scheldt, without any locks.
On the right bank of the Scheldt the Delwaide dock was modernised for the latest generation of
container vessels. The MSC Home Terminal now covers the entire southern part of the Delwaide
dock. The terminal is the European hub for the services provided by Mediterranean Shipping
Company (MSC). Thanks to a total quay length of more than 2 km, several ships can be handled
at the same time. By the end of 2006 the MSC Home Terminal will have an annual capacity of
more than 3.6 million TEU.

PUBLIC SECTOR
All kinds of public services are involved in the activities of the port. The Antwerp Port Authority,
with a workforce of 1,900, owns and manages docks, berths, locks, etc. It is responsible for
planning, expanding, modernising and maintaining the infrastructure of the port. The Authority
also leases sites and land and is responsible for the distribution of electricity in the port.
Furthermore various national and regional authorities play an important part in ensuring the safety
of shipping and satisfactory port operations. The Ministry of the Flemish Community is for
example responsible for maintaining the navigation channel in the Scheldt, and also for the
pilotage service. Other public services include the various Police Services, the Health
Inspectorate and the Customs Service.
All the railways (1,100 km) in the port are the property of the NMBS-SNCB (Belgian Railways).
Like the private sector in the port, the Antwerp Port Authority also operates own equipment,
including warehouses, floating cranes, shore cranes, tugs and dredgers.