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Port Of Antwerp News

27 Mar 2024

Baltimore Rescuers Lose Hope for More Survivors from Bridge Collapse

Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies

Rescuers have lost hope of finding more survivors of the Baltimore bridge collapse, the coast guard said, as efforts switched on Wednesday to looking for bodies of the missing and more answers to why a container ship smashed into the span.Search divers were expected to return near dawn to the waters surrounding the twisted ruins of the bridge in Baltimore Harbor to search for six workers missing and now presumed dead.The disaster has forced the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the U.S.

27 Mar 2024

Divers to Search Baltimore Harbor

Search divers were expected to return near dawn on Wednesday to the waters surrounding the twisted ruins of a bridge knocked down in Baltimore Harbor by a faltering cargo ship, leaving six workers missing and presumed dead.The disaster also forced the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, and created a traffic quagmire for Baltimore and the surrounding region.As the odds of their survival vanished, the search for the six workers was suspended on Tuesday evening…

26 Mar 2024

Six Presumed Dead After Baltimore Bridge Collapse

Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies.

Six workers were missing and presumed dead from a bridge that collapsed in Baltimore Harbor early on Tuesday after a massive cargo ship crippled by a power loss rammed into the structure, forcing the closure of one of the busiest ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.With dive teams facing increasingly treacherous conditions in the darkened, wreckage-strewn waters, active search-and-rescue operations were suspended about 18 hours after the accident, U.S. Coast Guard and Maryland…

26 Mar 2024

Cargo Ship Lost Power Before Slamming Bridge in Baltimore

Collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore (Credit: Screenshot/StreamTime Live)

A massive cargo ship smashed into a bridge while sailing out of Baltimore early on Tuesday, sending cars and people into the river below and closing one of the busiest ports on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one of whom was hospitalized, and searched for more in the Patapsco River after huge metal spans of the 1.6-mile (2.57 km) Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the icy water around 1:30 a.m. (0530 GMT).The ship reported a power issue before impact…

26 Mar 2024

Ship That Hit Baltimore Bridge Also Involved in 2016 Antwerp Accident

Collapsed Key Bridge in Baltimore (Credit: Screeshot/StreamTime Live)

The ship that caused the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early on Tuesday was also involved in an accident in the port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016.The Antwerp port authorities said the container ship Dali hit a quay on July 11, 2016, as it tried to exit the North Sea container terminal.The port authority could give no details about the cause of the accident, but said the ship had remained at the dock for repairs for some time after the incident."As a general rule, these accidents are investigated and ships are only allowed to leave after experts have determined it is saf

13 Feb 2024

Port of Antwerp Disrupted by Belgian Farmers' Protests

© Alexandre / Adobe Stock

Operations at the port of Antwerp, one of Europe's biggest container ports, were seriously impacted on Tuesday as hundreds of farmers on tractors blocked the roads around the port to demand better pay and working conditions, officials said.The protest follows a large number of similar actions by angry farmers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and beyond, as farmers also demand looser environmental rules and better protection against cheap imports."Operations are heavily disrupted," Stephan Van Fraechem, the director of the association of port companies Alfaport VOKA, told Reuters.

12 Dec 2023

World’s First Hydrogen-Powered Tugboat Enters Operation

Source: CMB.TECH

Port of Antwerp-Bruges and CMB.TECH have announced a world first: the Hydrotug 1, the first hydrogen-powered tugboat, is ready for operation in the Antwerp port area.The Hydrotug 1 is the first tugboat in the world to be powered by combustion engines that burn hydrogen in combination with traditional fuel. It is the first vessel that uses the BeHydro V12 dual fuel medium speed engines – each providing 2MW – with the latest EU Stage V emissions aftertreatment.With these engines…

11 Dec 2023

Nations and Industry Partners Respond to Green Shipping Challenge

Source: Yara

Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry are co-leading an international initiative to accelerate reduction of emissions from the shipping sector, and on December 1, during COP28, they chaired a new round of announcements under that initiative, the Green Shipping Challenge.Various countries and organizations proposed measures to reduce emissions from shipping. This year’s announcements include:• Amazon: Amazon and other…

29 Aug 2023

Dead Whale Found in Port of Antwerp

(Photo: Port of Antwerp-Bruges)

A whale carcass was discovered on Tuesday in Belgium's Port of Antwerp.Responders are working to remove the 7- to 10-meter long whale from the water after it was found near DP World's container terminal. The port said whale deaths in the area are rare.Follownig a failed attempt to get the animal ashore using an AMT vessel and crane, the port is now using Brabo, a floating derrick crane capable of lifting up to 800 tonnes.After the whale is brought on land, the cadaver will be…

16 Oct 2023

Future Fuels: Methanol

(Image: Glosten)

Any commentator on the maritime business decarbonization voyage will offer something along the lines of "There will be multiple fuels…" With the International Maritime Organization (IMO) meetings of its Maritime Environmental Protection Committee (MEPC) set for early July, it is likely that targets for emissions will be tightened. Whatever mileposts that the IMO actually establishes, there will be no prescriptions handed down on how to get there. By mid-2023, nearly two years after the late 2021 alternative fuels crescendo in the aftermath of the COP26 meetings in Glasgow…

27 Mar 2023

Russia-bound Containers Stuck at Antwerp Port for Year

© chandlervid85 / Adobe Stock

Five Russia-bound containers from India's Jindal Stainless Ltd (JSL) have been stuck at the Belgian port of Antwerp for around a year, unable to enter the European Union, the company said on Friday."The containers are carrying around 100 metric tonnes of stainless steel," a company spokesperson said.The containers were sent in February 2022 for shipment via Antwerp, but were held up because of EU sanctions imposed on Russia after it invaded Ukraine the same month.JSL's spokesperson said the stainless steel was not among the goods on the EU's sanctions list, and should be cleared for onward tra

02 Nov 2022

Hydrogen-powered Tug Hydrotug 1 Arrives in Ostend

Hydrotug 1 (Photo: Port of Antwerp-Bruges)

The word's first hydrogen-powered tugboat recently arrived in the port of Ostend where it will undergo further work before entering service in 2023.Built at Armón Shipyards in Navia Spain, the Hydrotug 1 was launched in May, and in the following months remaining construction works on the vessel were completed.The groundbreaking vessel is part of an integrated greening program for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges fleet and is being deployed by shipping and logistics group CMB (Compagnie Maritime Belge) as an important step in the transition to a climate-neutral port by 2050.

28 Oct 2022

​Fleet Cleaner Demonstrates Remote Control of Hull Cleaning Services

MSC’s Marianna Mastellone christening Thunderbird 3, together with Fleet Cleaner founders Alex Noordstrand (left) and Cornelis de Vet. (Photo: Fleet Cleaner)

Thunderbird 3 named as latest vessel in growing fleet as remote operating control center in Delft begins operations.As hull biofouling and its role in invasive species transfer and carbon emissions due to increased fuel use continue to attract the attention of the IMO and national regulators, Netherlands-based Fleet Cleaner has added to its armory with the introduction of a third specialist hull cleaning vessel. In addition, the company has unveiled a new remotely controlled operation service for its growing fleet of vessels and ROV cleaning craft.Thunderbird 3…

17 Aug 2022

SCHOTTEL RudderPropellers to Power World’s First Hydrogen Tug

(Photo: Schottel)

The first hydrogen-powered tug worldwide is equipped with SCHOTTEL propulsion systems. The vessel, which will be among the cleanest of the fleet of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, has recently been launched by the Spanish shipyard Astilleros Armon and will enter operations at the Belgian port in early 2023.Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said, “With the Hydrotug, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges is making an important step in the transition to a sustainable, CO2-neutral port.

24 May 2022

Hydrotug: World's First Hydrogen-powered Tug Launched

Hydrotug (Photo: Port of Antwerp)

Hydrotug, the world's first hydrogen-powered tugboat, has been launched at Armón Shipyards in Navia, Spain, marking a key milestone on the path toward wider adoption of the sustainable, climate neutral fuel in workboat applications.Remaining outfitting work will be completed over the next few months ahead of sea trials later this year. The groundbreaking vessel is scheduled to be delivered by the end of this year and enter full operations in the first quarter of 2023 for shipping…

22 May 2022

Cargo Vessel to Ship US Medical, Defense Supplies Toward Ukraine

The U.S. is spanning a sea bridge over the Atlantic to support Ukraine with crucial equipment in its war against Russia, a senior official said on Friday, as a huge cargo ship at the Belgian port of Antwerp got ready to set sail for Germany.Carol Petsonk, the United States' Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, was shown around the loading dock of the vehicles carrier "Arc Integrity" where the military gear was tied with straps to the floor."What we see is the vessel's carrying two types of equipment: One is the personal vehicles, belongings of service members who are going to serve in U.S.

29 Apr 2022

Port of Antwerp Overcoming Loss of Russian Shipping Export Trade -CEO

© VanderWolf Images / Adobe Stock

The Port of Antwerp is adapting to losing shipping trade with Russia and its merger with the neighboring Port of Zeebrugge is set to boost overall volumes in coming years, the group's chief executive said on Thursday.Global shipping companies including leading container lines have cut business ties with Russia due to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and the imposition of Western sanctions. While food and medical shipments are still allowed, overall exports to Russia have been hit…

02 Feb 2022

Global Container Flows Struggle to Pick Up Speed, Data Shows

© Idanupong / Adobe Stock

Efforts to speed up the movement of goods around the world have yet to solve the supply chain bottlenecks caused by surging demand for retail goods and pandemic-related lockdowns, the latest shipping data shows.Delays at U.S. major ports have been particularly severe, but knock-on effects have also been felt around the world.This week's Lunar New Year holiday in China and across Asia is also expected to aggravate delays.The journey time from China's northern Dalian port to the…

04 Nov 2021

Montreal, Antwerp Ports to Create 'Green Shipping Corridor'

Left to right: Martin Imbleau (Port of Montreal) and Tom Monballiu (Port of Antwerp). Photo: port of Antwerp)

At the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) on climate change, the Port of Antwerp and the Port of Montreal have signed a cooperation agreement to support the creation of the first green shipping corridor in the North Atlantic.Through this agreement, the two ports pledge to mobilize their respective public- and private-sector partners alike in the assessment, identification, development and adoption of shared or complementary solutions and infrastructures. Together, they intend…

22 Feb 2022

Stena Line Upgrades Its Two Largest Ferries

(Photo: Stena Line)

Swedish ferry company Stena Line said its two largest ferries, Stena Hollandica and Stena Britannica, have completed a €1 million refit that includes updated onboard facilities.The North Sea vessels, which sail twice daily between Harwich, in the U.K., and Hoek van Holland, in The Netherlands, were in dry-dock in the EDR Shipyard in the Port of Antwerp to undergo their regular annual maintenance. While there, they also received some new additions to their onboard services.Duty Free sales on routes to the U.K.

22 Oct 2021

Damen Delivers Two Multi Cats to Brabo in Antwerp

(Photo: Damen)

Antwerp-based Brabo Group has held a naming ceremony for a Multi Cat 1506 and a Multi Cat 1908 delivered by Damen Shipyards Group. The group’s cleaning division, Brabo Cleaning Company, has secured a contract with Port of Antwerp to maintain a pollution-free environment in the harbor.The naming ceremony took place at Brabo’s headquarters in Antwerp on October 21. The vessels were sponsored by Annick de Ridder and Yasmine Janssen.After securing the contract, Brabo required the vessels quickly.

11 Jan 2022

Maersk Expects Cargo Delays to Persist

© MagioreStockStudio / Adobe Stock

Top container shipping firm A.P. Moller-Maersk on Tuesday warned its customers it was still struggling to move goods around the world as the easing of congestion is taking longer than the Danish company had hoped for.The pandemic has prompted shortages of container ships and logjams at ports at a time of very high consumer spending, meaning that hundreds of container vessels are lying idle outside ports."Unfortunately, 2022 has not started off as we had hoped," Maersk said in an advisory published on its web page."The pandemic is still going strong and unfortunately…

04 Feb 2022

European Oil Shipments Delayed After Cyber Attacks

© erikdegraaf / Adobe Stock

Tanker and barge shipments in and out of Europe's biggest oil hub have been delayed by up to a week as four storage companies scramble to resume operations after cyber attacks, sources familiar with the matter said.Since the end of last week, storage company Oiltanking and oil trading firm Mabanaft, both owned by Germany's Marquard & Bahls, have been hit by hackers. Belgium's SEA-TANK and Dutch fuel storage firm Evos have also been affected.The companies have had to suspend some operations, affecting oil flows in the Netherlands, Belgium and across Germany.