Last week the port authority signed five sectoral agreements on steel; fruit; forest products and roll-on, roll-off cargo, as well as “heavy lift” cargo: objects up to 1,000 tonnes in weight and 100 metres in length, which cannot fit conventional transports and require ad hoc transport planning.

The agreements, which group the port authority with Alfaport Antwerp and its five industry associations, aim to make Antwerp more competitive by raising the port’s profile on the world stage. In recent years, Antwerp has lost share in break bulk to other ports, including Rotterdam but also Vlissingen and Dunkirk. Under the agreements, the port authority will organise trade days in the five cargo sectors, while at the same time taking part in international gatherings and conferences in Moscow, Houston, Sao Paolo and Munich.