Seagoing vessels mooring at North Sea Port will now pay a single tariff for the entire cross-border port area
From 1 January 2021, seagoing vessels mooring at North Sea Port will pay a single tariff for the entire cross-border port area. Those who bring more cargo to the port and are sustainable will be rewarded further. The tariffs will not be indexed in 2021 and 2022.
From 1 January 2021, whether a seagoing vessel arrives in Vlissingen, Terneuzen or Ghent will no longer matter as far as pricing is concerned. Seagoing vessels will only pay once for access to the port, the use of port infrastructure and the volume of cargo, regardless of where in the port area they wish to moor.
From that date, all seagoing vessels calling at the port will pay a single basic price based on the gross tonnage of the ship. This 'basic ticket' gives vessels and customers smooth and efficient access to the port, including mooring and stay in port, use of the port information system, the required depth, and access to lock planning in Terneuzen.
In addition to the basic tariff, there is also a tariff for the total cargo volume. Different prices are charged for the different types of cargo. Discounts are available. The more cargo port users bring to the port, the bigger the discount they get. Ships that meet the requirements for green ships under the 'Environmental Ship Index' (ESI) are also rewarded with a discount on the basic ticket.
The port authority based this revision on a number of principles, in line with European requirements: the unified tariffs increase financial transparency, provide simplicity, ensure uniformity for port users with a minimum of individual variations, and create a level playing field within North Sea Port.
This means that all port users within a particular segment will pay the same amount. Moreover, port users will now receive only one invoice for the entire port area instead of two, cutting down on paperwork.
The port authority consulted intensively with port users and companies at an early stage before setting the new tariffs. Evaluations will be carried out at regular intervals after implementation. No adjustment will be made for inflation in 2021 and 2022.
With the new unified tariffs for the entire port area, North Sea Port is truly presenting itself as a single entity to ships and customers. As such, this represents an important milestone for the port authority. At the time of the merger on 1 January 2018, North Sea Port announced that it would work towards a single tariff for port dues for the entire port area. Because until now, ships sometimes had to deal with multiple invoices, as well as different tariffs, discounts and calculation methods for the Zeeland and the Ghent parts of the port area. From 1 January 2021, the port authority will put an end to this.