Port of Antwerp Wins Prestigious Award (Belgium)

Last week operators, officials and industry leaders gathered in Abu Dhabi to honour the achievements of the world’s top performing ports in the areas of Efficiency, Innovation, Environment and Safety and Security at the annual World Ports & Trade Summit Awards.

The event was attended by more than 300 industry professionals and members of the IAPH (International Association of Ports & Harbours).

Shortlisted nominees for the Environmental award included Sydney Ports, Port of Gothenburg, Port of Rotterdam and Port of Los Angeles, but it was the Port of Antwerp that claimed the sought-after accolade. The port was also shortlisted for the Port Safety & Security Award.

The Environmental Award recognises a port company or authority that has made a notable contribution to the environment. Ways of achieving this include an exceptional commitment to enhancing the environmental aspect of the port and surrounding areas, the incorporation of environmental policies, a significant technical contribution to improving/maintaining the environment and an investment in new technology or environmentally sympathetic operating systems. Such a contribution can be made either by a specific activity or over a period of time.

“It is a great honour for the port of Antwerp to receive an award for the second year running, taking home the WPTS Environmental Award. We consider this as recognition for the efforts that companies and public partners have made in the field of environment and sustainability”, says Eddy Bruyninckx, CEO of the Antwerp Port Authority.

Antwerp Port: Waasland Canal Development

Construction work has started on a new 645 m quay at the head of the Waasland canal, in the port area on the left bank.

The new quay will have a projecting platform with a width of 65 m to permit mooring, loading and unloading of ro/ro vessels.

On the West side of the Waasland port (the Antwerp port area on the left bank of the Scheldt), at the junction of the Verrebroek and Doel docks, a new quay with a length of around 645 metres is being built. The quay is of the combi-wall type, having tubular piles with sheet piles between them, with a reinforced concrete deck on top and anchored by MV piles (heavy ground anchors).

The new quay will have a projecting platform with a width of 65 m to permit mooring, loading and unloading of ro/ro vessels.

The quay will offer a depth alongside of 18 m. Some 500,000 m³ of sand and 300,000 m³ of other spoil unsuitable for recycling in the construction industry will be dredged away to create this depth. The construction work is expected to take about 24 months, and the dredging will start once this has been completed.

The project also includes construction of a talus with water plants growing on it over a length of 50 m at the East end of the Doel dock, as part of a trial project. Taking this into account also, the complete work should be finished by the end of 2014.

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Press Release, March 29, 2013