Port of Antwerp
By: Thomas Ryan, Kathleen Bianchetto, Bohdan Sidor, Caitlin Hwang
What is the Port of Antwerp and what is its purpose?
Employing over 143,000 jobs and instituting 1,000 companies, the port is home to Belgium’s biggest “economic engine”. It consists of a “multimodal” network with extensive pipelines, roads, and railing that connects the short sea to the docks. It is split into two banks, Right Bank and Left Bank, that facilitate a range of docks– like Berendrecht Lock and the Bonaparte Dock. The port is managed by the Antwerp Port Authority and terminals are operated by private companies like DP World and PSA Antwerp.
The port is a major gateway into Europe that connects all transportable goods– they “manage and maintain the infrastructure and ensure efficient and safe shipping,” while also delivering services of logistics, towage, pilotage, mooring services, and quality control.
Why is the Port a major selling point of Belgium and what is its competition?
The port of Antwerp is a unique selling point for the city because it provides a plethora of economic opportunities. Both indirectly and directly, the port provides over 140,000 jobs. Inversely, from a shipper’s perspective, the port of Antwerp has been the second biggest port in Europe since the mid-1900s. As Belgium is considered the ‘heart of Europe’, the port of Antwerp’s geographical location makes cargo very accessible to the rest of the continent, making it very desirable for shippers.
The port of Antwerp does have competition. Rotterdam, Netherlands, Europe’s largest port, is in very close proximity to Antwerp. However, we learned that they have a larger focus on liquids. Still, both are in great geographical locations to supply goods to Europe.
What is the Port of Antwerp’s social and economic impact on Belgium?
The Port of Antwerp is the largest economic hub in Belgium and is the hub of almost 150,000 jobs having a truly enormous effect on the social economy in Antwerp. As the second-largest freight port in Europe, the port of Antwerp has contributed to the development and growth of Belgium, creating over 19 billion Euros in added value. Every year the port handles hundreds of millions of tons of cargo and was visited by over 14,000 ships from over 800 different worldwide locations, turning the port into the financial center of Belgium and a global economic powerhouse.
How is this similar to the courses you take at the University of Antwerp?
This tour integrated directly into our courses. We learned about the typical business operations of the port, directly relating to queuing theory from operations. There is an extremely structured system of how shipments enter and exit the port. Also, we learned about the financial and economic impact of ports on the economy of Antwerp and Belgium as a whole. The port account for 4.5% of GDP within Belgium which is comparably a very large proportion. For management, the port was structured like an “amber” business. Meaning, its management is structured with a hierarchical pyramid. It has formal