New dock turns Zeebrugge into world-class container port
The Port of Zeebrugge is already the world’s number one port for the handling of new cars. With the opening of the new Albert II dock, it is now on its way to becoming a container port of global importance as well. The Albert II dock – named after the current Belgian monarch, King Albert II – was inaugurated last Saturday. It will allow the Port of Zeebrugge to accommodate the largest container ships in the world. Ships carrying 10 000 containers will be able to dock at Zeebrugge day and night, irrespective of the sea’s tides. Even larger vessels, with 13 000 containers on board, will be able to unload without queuing for a berth.
The newly-built dock will give container traffic at the port an enormous boost. The port authorities expect the volume of containers handled to rise to 5 million teu (standard 20-foot containers) within 4 years. Last year, container traffic at Zeebrugge grew 16.5 pct to 1.64 million teu. Overall activity at the port hit a record volume of 39.3 million tonnes.
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