The shipping platform

Location: Zeebrugge lies on the Belgian coast of the North Sea, 12nm W of the mouth of the Scheldt estuary, 5.4nm W of the Dutch/Belgian border. General overview: The port handles containers, Ro-Ro and bulk traffic and is a transhipment hub for coastal and river traffic. Principal commodities handled include vehicles, LNG and forestry products. Due to the port's position on the open sea, vessels port steaming time is reduced to a minimum. A new dredging programme aims to accommodate vessels with a 16.7m draught. The outer port is accessible without going through any locks, one additional hour is needed to berth in the inner port. The outer port of Zeebrugge: This reclaimed land area is fully protected by 2 major breakwaters, (the W with a length of 4,280m and the E with a length of 4,030m) and by a smaller one inside the harbour, (2,487m). The inner port of Zeebrugge: -The inner port, (approx. size 1,300ha) has 4 docks, accessed by 2 locks: -Pierre Vandamme Lock (500m in length; width 57m; with a usable depth of 18.5m) -Visart Lock (210m in length, (165m is usable) A junction lock for barges links the port with the Ostend, Bruges and Ghent Canal and with the national and international waterways system. Bruges: The Port of Bruges is connected to Zeebrugge by the Baudouin Canal approx. 10km in length. Consisting of three docks, East, West and the Industrial Dock. Traffic figures: Approx 44,900,000t of cargo, including approx 2,328,000TEU, 9,400 vessels and 560,000 passengers handled annually. Load line zone: -North Atlantic Winter Seasonal Zone II -Winter Nov 1 to Mar 31 -Summer Apr 1 to Oct 31. Max size: -Outer harbour: LOA 400m, beam 56m, draught 15.0m. -LNG carriers: Q-Flex, LOA 350m, beam 55m, draught of up to 12.0m. - Inner Harbour: LOA 400m, beam 48m, draught 15.5m. IMO Class 1 (PSA terminal): there will need to be guided transport for the container for the full route inland until vessel sails in case of loading. This will normally be handled by a third party forwards/shippers. Need to apply for permission to the federal government as well.