Port of Antwerp improves access with South-East Netherlands
Last year the Port Authority carried out a strategic hinterland analysis with a view to improving the port’s intermodal presence, which is currently sub-optimum. A call for project proposals was issued to the extended port community, with external parties being able to propose new or improved rail and/or barge connections for better access to the network of inland terminals in South-East Netherlands. In this way the Port Authority seeks to further improve the port’s access to its core hinterland, the the Antwerp Port Authority (APA) said in a press-release.
From the proposals submitted, two projects were selected: Danser Group in collaboration with BCTN, and Oosterhout Container Terminal in collaboration with its partners Brabant Intermodal, Markiezaat Container Terminal and Pro-log. Both projects started mid May 2014. The new barge service operated by Danser Group/BCTN calls at Antwerp six times per week from the hub in Nijmegen. From this hub there will be frequent connections to Venlo and Venray (six times per week by barge) and to the Hengelo region (five times per week by road). As such the port of Antwerp offers daily connections with the South and East of the Netherlands, while there is also good access to the German, French and Swiss hinterlands via the hub in Nijmegen (www.bctn.nl/antwerp or www.danser.nl).
The new container barge service offered by Oosterhout Container Terminal travels from Oosterhout to Antwerp six times per week in the first phase, with a stop in Markiezaat Container Terminal (Bergen-op-Zoom). From the hub in Oosterhout there will be frequent barge connections with the partner terminals in Tilburg, Waalwijk and Veghel, while the rail terminal in Eindhoven will be served by road.
With the introduction of these two projects the Port Authority is facilitating maximum coverage of the South-East Netherlands region. The Danser Group service is mainly aimed at the Dutch provinces of Limburg and Gelderland, while the Oosterhout Container Terminal covers terminals in the province of North Brabant. The two projects therefore complement one another in terms of regional coverage. As such they offer great added value for Antwerp port users, thanks to the high frequency of connections and the fixed, transparent sailing schedules.