• 2020 March 27 18:14

    Port of Antwerp Covid-19 Taskforce: supply chains still working

    The second meeting of the Port of Antwerp Covid-19 Taskforce was held this morning. It confirmed that the port continues to work perfectly as an essential link for the supply of Belgium and a large part of Europe.

    So far there has not been any drop in the volume of shipping, except for the expected fall in the number of arrivals from China. Various new members have joined the Taskforce, and several points for attention were defined. In particular the subject of "Green Lanes" was put forward in order to further guarantee efficient supplies for the region.

    The Port of Antwerp Covid-19 Taskforce held its second meeting yesterday. This multi-disciplinary, cross-border taskforce is made up of various players in the port organisation. It was set up to monitor the day-to-day operation of the port, with a view to taking additional measures where necessary. In addition to the original participants, Infrabel (rail track operator) and the Federal Agency for Safety of the Food Chain have now joined the taskforce.

    At the moment the port platform remains operational and there are no insurmountable problems. In consultation with the agency for Maritime Services & Coast (MDK), a second location has been pressed into service temporarily for the Antwerp Coordination Centre (ACC), which is responsible for shipping traffic management. In this way the personnel can be spread over the two locations and the ACC kept 100% operational.

    The Taskforce also defined various other points for attention:

    Due to declining production and consumption in many industries there has been a slowdown in outward movements of goods and raw materials, leading to a pile-up. This has resulted in a shortage of warehouse capacity, tank storage and space for storing trucks, both in the port and in the hinterland. Alternatives are being sought to deal with this shortage.

    All EU internal borders have been closed to movements of persons. Exceptions are being made for personnel in essential industries, and "green lanes" are being set up as fast lanes for trucks so that they can cross the border in not more than 15 minutes. However, in the past few days there have still been long queues at border crossings in Europe. The Taskforce will take this matter up with the relevant authorities.

    The existing measures remain in force: Basic preventive hygiene measures; Sufficient cleaning materials made available for machines; Documents exchanged digitally as much as possible, so as to keep human contact to a minimum; Ship's crews and personnel on the quayside communicate mainly at a distance (by radio and telephone);  Rules of social distancing applied as much as possible, in particular by keeping a distance of 1.5 metres between people.

    So far there has not been any significant drop in the volume of shipping. In the meantime the demand for healthy foodstuffs and long-life foodstuffs continues to grow. On the other hand a big economic impact is expected in the next few weeks due to many large export industries shutting down, such as the car industry. Port of Antwerp will continue to monitor this situation closely, and will react to demand from the logistics operators and terminals.

    The Port of Antwerp Covid-19 Taskforce will meet weekly. This frequency will be increased should it become necessary. For more information, please visit our Coronavirus web page.




2024 March 28

18:05 Jan De Nul, ENGIE and Equans launch a pilot project centred around the use of Vanadium Redox Flow batteries
17:35 Latvian port equipment manufacturer Bleste introduces new bulk handling ‘bucket’
17:05 Investors upgrade Navios Maritime Partners
16:25 DEME reports 22% increase in the orderbook and a record-high turnover of 3.3 billion euros in 2023
16:14 MABUX: Bunker Outlook, Week 13, 2024
15:41 AD Ports Group announced the opening of Saadiyat Marina & Ferry Terminal and Rabdan Marina
15:11 Sydney invests $11.5 million in two new operational vessels designed by Incat Crowther
14:55 China’s Jinzhao wins Peru $405m port construction contract
14:13 APM Terminals Moín handled six million TEU
13:48 ClassNK grants Innovation Endorsements for Products & Solutions to two innovative initiatives by MOL
13:37 Konecranes launches its flagship Konecranes X-series industrial crane
12:53 United European Car Carriers UECC spearheads collaboration with industry leaders to advance CNSL as a sustainable marine fuel
12:26 Ocean Network Express announces Transpacific service
11:48 Yang Ming announces 2025 Trans-Pacific service network
11:24 Fincantieri signs contract for the supply of two PPAs to Indonesia
10:42 Maersk transported more than 660,000 TEU using clean fuel in 2023
10:23 Documentation delays push industry costs to $3bn
09:48 PONANT and FARWIND Energy partner to develop green hydrogen refueling solutions

2024 March 27

18:22 Bureau Veritas awards world’s first prototype certification for SolarDuck’s floating offshore solar solution
17:58 The recently converted Allseas's shallow water pipelay barge starts preparations for its first commercial project
17:38 The Port of Rotterdam calls on the European Commission and Parliament to focus on actively promoting green energy
15:23 SEFE to become sole shareholder of WIGA
14:53 Ocean Installer secures yet another SLM contract with Equinor
14:23 Cadeler signs offshore wind turbine installation contract for the vessel Wind Scylla
13:42 Carnival Cruise Line orders 5th Excel-class cruise ship
13:11 Maersk and MSC overcharging cargo owners for EU ETS, says T&E
12:52 The Port Authority of Valencia launches the ZAL project in the Port of Valencia
12:11 Clarkson Port Services and Peak Group collaborate to deliver Port Agency services across the North Sea
11:42 Wan Hai Lines holds ship naming ceremony for new vessels
11:24 Consolidated shipping lines EBIT loss was $1.44 billion in Q4 2023: Sea-Intelligence
10:49 Seaspan Shipyards receives long-term contracts for the pre-construction work of the the Canadian Coast Guard's first six multi-mission vessels
10:14 Woodside completes sale of 10% scarborough interest

2024 March 26

18:02 COSCO Shipping Lines introduces new Americas service
17:30 Davie awarded first contract for design of icebreaker fleet under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy
17:04 Sanctions complicate Arctic LNG ship sales, Hanwha Ocean says - Bloomberg
16:57 Terntank places an order for 1+1 additional wind/ methanol-ready hybrid tanker
16:28 BW LNG completes acquisition of two TFDE vessels from Stena Bulk
15:50 Hanwha Ocean develops VR-based special vehicle simulator
15:20 TotalEnergies and SINOPEC join forces to produce sustainable jet fuel at a SINOPEC's refinery
14:52 Wärtsilä Lifecycle Agreement to guarantee operational reliability of new wind farm installation vessel
14:23 Hudong-Zhonghua launches two LNG carriers
13:51 Cargo ship hits Baltimore’s Key Bridge
13:12 Final sanctioned tanker with Russian Sokol oil to reach China port - Reuters
12:42 Adani Ports acquires 95% of Odisha's Gopalpur Port from SP Group for $162 million
12:21 IHI and Yara Clean Ammonia agree to jointly assess clean ammonia business collaboration
11:41 Yara Clean Ammonia and Azane granted safety permit to build world's first low emission ammonia bunkering terminal
11:16 Wartsila and Royal Caribbean Group celebrate 15 years of collaboration on digital transformation
10:46 A global carbon tax on shipping is coming, says ABS Chairman and CEO
10:21 Eni, Fincantieri and RINA establish partnership for maritime transport decarbonization

2024 March 25

18:07 The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore continues to investigate reports of oil spills off the port of Tuas
17:31 “K” Line, NIPPON HAKUYO and OPT Gate sign an agreement for a new fire detection system for car carriers
17:07 Greek merchant fleet recorded slight decline in January 2024
16:47 Hanwha Ocean Plans to develop green technology and naval ships
16:25 U-Ming Singapore and ITOCHU sign milestone MoU for the joint development of ammonia dual-fuel and de-carbonized vessels
15:34 Svitzer targets methanol-fuelled MAN 175DF-M engine for tug application
15:04 Wallenius Wilhelmsen signs contracts for four 9,300 CEU vessels with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard
14:40 Taiwan International Port to upgrade terminal facility at Kaohsiung
13:59 Сruise ship Carnival Freedom catches fire near Bahamas
12:59 Hanwha Ocean wins 2.4 tln-won order for 8 LNG ships
11:16 Inland Ports meet in Paris to talk about the innovation potential of inland ports
10:50 IMO agrees possible outline for maritime “net-zero framework”
10:24 Hapag-Lloyd to continue to avoid the Red Sea route
09:58 QatarEnergy enters time charter agreements with Nakilat for the operation of 25 LNG vessels

2024 March 24

16:18 Inchgreen Marine Park upgraded as part of £11m investment
15:14 A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Solent Rail Terminal Rail was held at the Port of Southampton
14:08 ESNA and Strategic Marine join forces to offer Surface Effect Ship (“SES”) Crew Transfer Vessels (“CTV”) to the market
13:07 First LNG powered vessel calls at HIP
12:49 Inter-array cable installation completed at Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm
11:32 Equinor ASA posts net income at USD 11.9 billion in 2023
09:25 Edda Wind announces the sale of Edda Passat