Over the past three years, intensive efforts have been made to fully prepare the Antwerp port for the reception of container ships with a draft of 16 meters. This opens doors for Antwerp to be the first port of call for the largest ships. Achieving this milestone involved six meticulous test voyages, with the last one taking place on November 10, 2023, featuring the successful passage of MSC Raya in the Deurganck dock. MSC Aurora becomes the first container ship to sail to Antwerp with a draft of 16 meters under normal admission policy, not as a trial run.
Previously, the draft was limited to 15.56 meters. The series of tests began on March 1, 2021, with the arrival of MSC Regulus with a draft of 15.7 meters, and MSC Rapallo also had a successful test voyage with a draft of 15.7 meters. This was followed by MSC Diletta on July 9, 2022, with a draft of 15.9 meters and MSC Isabella. On October 2, 2023, MSC Tessa successfully set the depth record of 16 meters upon arrival from Portugal in the Deurganck dock.
After the successful completion of the last test with MSC Raya, various procedures have been followed, and as of today, the 16-meter draft is officially in effect. The Antwerp port now has the capacity to welcome the world's largest ships. This additional 5 decimeters can yield approximately 1000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) gain. The increased draft of 16 meters applies exclusively to container ships sailing to the Deurganck dock.