The Port of Antwerp broke its annual traffic record in 2020 and processed 12 million TEU for the first time, despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, the Port said its traffic increased by 1.3% year-on-year (YoY) in 2020 and that it had performed better than most other ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre range.
It went further and insisted it had shown resilience and made progress in a number of areas. These include greener energy, digitalisation and mobility through various pioneering projects.
Its business plan for the coming year will continue to build on the 2018-2020 format with its three strategic priorities for sustainable growth, targeted transition and resilience.
Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp, said, “We were caught up in a storm in 2020, but we stayed upright. The port has even set another record in container throughput.
“This enabled us to limit the damage due to losses in other segments and to present better figures than other ports.
“This once again confirms the importance of the container segment and the need to expand the capacity. It will not be smooth sailing in 2021 nor will it be predictable, but we are stronger than before.
“Despite the crisis, we were more forward-looking than ever in 2020, in terms of energy transition, mobility, and digitalisation.
“I am convinced that our ambitious projects, such as the CO2 reduction project Antwerp@C, the hydrogen coalition, the digital encryption of containers with the “Certified Pick up” project, and the new development of the NextGen District on the old Opel site will really be major game changers within the next 10 years.“
