Port lay-out Port of Antwerp

1 port lay-out

1.1 right bank
1.2 left bank
1.3 deurganck dock

port lay-out

this aerial photograph strikingly illustrates extent of antwerp s infrastructure before works started on deurganck dock. scheldt runs south north between geometrical outlines of docks on left , right banks. other details include brussels–scheldt maritime canal @ bottom centre, albert canal (the thin line running south east docks), rhine-scheldt junction canal (top centre) , ghent-terneuzen canal @ top left.


the right bank

with opening of berendrecht lock (1989), crowning achievement in developing right bank dock complex obtained. length of 500 m between lock gates , width of 68 m, berendrecht lock largest lock in world. lock has depth of 13.50 m, makes sill depth @ mean high water equal 17.75 m. apart lock, still further development of right bank has been undertaken on banks of scheldt outside dock complex. 2 large container terminals have been opened here. in 1990, europe terminal operative, while secondly, north sea terminal became operative in 1997. older areas of port, such bonaparte dock, being modernized needs dictate make them suitable modern cargo handling operations. among modernisation, upgrade of amerika dock, albert dock , third harbour dock being done make them accessible panamax ships, have draught of 42 feet (13 m). other modernisation projects being undertaken delwaide dock, able serve latest generation of container vessels. southern part of delwaide dock, msc home terminal partnership between psa hesse-noord natie , mediterranean shipping company (msc). due total quay length of more 2 km, several ships can handled @ same time. msc home terminal has annual capacity of more 3.6 million twenty-foot equivalent units (teu).

the left bank

the first plans development of waaslandhaven on antwerp’s left bank prepared in boom years of 1960s. @ time, hoped agreement reached dutch on construction of baalhoek canal, have run kallo in belgium through drowned land of saefthinge (on dutch territory) western scheldt. grand concept had advantage cut off difficult bend known bocht van bath , facilitate access deep draught ships.

work started on kallo lock in 1979, , end of 1980s basic outlines of waaslandhaven , large complete. main constituents waasland canal, verrebroek dock, , vrasene dock. abandonment of baalhoek canal project meant additional dock, known doel dock, never fitted out shipping.

the development of sites in new docklands got off slow start, took off in 1990s. nowadays, trades handled in vrasene dock include forest products, fruit juice, cars, plastic granulates, scrap , bulk gas. equipping of verrebroek dock started in 1996 , saw arrival of first seagoing ship in 2000. when finalized, dock offer total of 5 km of berths draught of 14.5 m.

the deurganck dock

since existing container terminals on right bank of scheldt have reached maximum capacity , container freight volume keeps increasing (in 2007 expanded 8.2% 8 million teu), new dock complex constructed: tidal deurganck dock, open river , not require vessels pass through lock. first terminal in dock opened on july 6, 2005. full capacity of dock estimated @ more 8 9 million teu. deurganck dock has wharf length of 5.5 km , consists of total of 1,200,000 cubic metres of concrete. kieldrecht lock, new lock @ end of deurganckdock, giving access docks in port area on left bank opened in june 2016 , largest dock in world. lock deeper berendrecht lock, previous largest, in response trend towards ever-larger ships. lock, represents investment of 340 million euros, second lock enclosed harbours , represents failsafe feature; had sole lock failed, vessels inside have been trapped, whereas highly improbable both locks might simultaneously fail. on landward side, facing dock complex, lock leads waasland canal. there ships have easy access other docks on left bank: doel dock, verrebroek dock, vrasene dock , north , south mooring docks.