Port of Antwerp goes all-out for maximum connectivity and accessibility on Left bank
The port of Antwerp is set to achieve a freight volume of more than 200 million tonnes for the first time ever in 2015, the port’s press release says. When it comes to containers Antwerp is performing extremely well this year: with expected growth of almost 8% it will easily pass the milestone of 9 million TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units, i.e. standard containers) for the first time in its history.
About half of the container volume is currently handled in the port area on the Right bank of the Scheldt, but once the Swiss shipping company MSC transfers its operations to the Deurganck dock then the Left bank will inevitably become the main focus of container handling in Antwerp. Maximum connectivity for this part of the port and accessibility for the dock in particular has therefore been a top priority both for the Port Authority and for private port companies for some time now.
At the third Intermodal Event this week various players presented their initiatives for further development of trimodal access on the Left bank. “As the second-largest port in Europe we owe it to our customers to act as a reliable supply chain partner, ensuring that goods can reach the 600 million customers in our hinterland quickly and efficiently from our port,” declared Port Authority CEO Eddy Bruninckx in his opening speech.
43% of all containers arriving in the port of Antwerp are carried to the hinterland by freight train or barge. The aim is to increase this proportion to 57% by 2030. With more and more giant container carriers calling at the port, and thus larger volumes arriving at the same moment, rail and barge must play a greater role in moving cargo quickly to the hinterland. At the same time the growing volumes offer opportunities for consolidating consignments and so for developing new intermodal initiatives.
Together with the rail and terminal operators the port of Antwerp aims to maximise rail access on the Left bank and to develop a more interconnected rail network throughout the port area. A feasibility study is currently under way to determine the best scenario for an efficient container shuttle operating on a fixed schedule between the terminals on the Left and Right banks, so as to take more freight off the roads.
The 16.2 km Liefkenshoek rail link connecting the two banks of the Scheldt began operation at the end of 2014. The new link has expanded the rail capacity in the port by a further 109 freight trains per day in both directions, as well as affording a time saving of more than 30 minutes and contributing to more reliable rail connections between the port area and neighbouring countries. Finally the new connection loop from the South rail fan creating a direct rail link between the Liefkenshoek rail tunnel and the Deurganck dock West will enter service at the beginning of 2016, enabling the Left bank to be reached even more quickly by rail transport.
In addition to these infrastructure projects, a number of operational improvements, such as the possibility to make use of the rail facilities for the Deurganck dock terminals on request on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday, will help to ensure maximum accessibility of the Left bank for rail transport.
The Instream campaign launched at the beginning of 2014 combines six digital tools and projects that have been developed in the port to ensure even faster and more reliable handling and turnaround of barge transport in the port of Antwerp.
In practical terms the projects contribute to even better nautical coordination as well as more efficient container handling and distribution within the port. One of the projects that contribute towards efficient distribution within the port is consolidation of small barge container volumes; this helps to reduce the number of calls by barges with small container volumes and thus raises the overall efficiency of barge container transport. The project has been set up by the Dutch intermodal service provider HTS Group and the Antwerp company Transbox United (a member of the Contargo group) in collaboration with Antwerp Port Authority. HTS Group consolidates the volumes from the Ruhr area at its terminal in the South Netherlands (Gorinchem Logistics Centre), while Transbox United consolidates the volumes arriving in Antwerp via the Albert canal, the Maas or the Rhine at the two Zuidnatie terminals on the Right bank. In this way smaller consignments destined for particular shipping container terminals in the port area combined into larger volumes. A barge shuttle provides a fast connection between these consolidation points and the shipping container terminals in the port of Antwerp.
The second lock providing access to the Left bank port area will finally enter operation at the end of March 2016. In the meantime new road infrastructure is being built to absorb the expected increased volume of traffic around the Deurganck dock and the lock and ensure a smooth flow of traffic, both in the short and in the long term. For example, in addition to the two road bridges already crossing the lock when it first opens, another two are due to be opened in the course of 2017, while the flyover opposite the Antwerp Gateway terminal will open in the summer of 2016. These infrastructure projects will keep local traffic and through traffic separate from one another. Meanwhile the Hollands interchange on the Sint-Antoniusweg road where it crosses the R2 in the Waasland port North area will open at the end of 2017. This interchange will replace the existing circular junction, and its diamond structure will be able to absorb the peak traffic flows much more easily.
In addition to these infrastructure projects, a number of mobility measures such as the extended opening hours for the container terminals – so that transport operators can get in as early as 5.00 a.m. – will contribute to smoother road transport in and around the port of Antwerp.
