Port of Antwerp-Bruges and duisport signed a long-term cooperation agreement on 8 September with the chief executive officers of the two ports, duisport CEO Markus Bangen and Port of Antwerp-Bruges CEO Jacques Vandermeiren, sealing the far-reaching partnership in the presence of Flemish Prime Minister Jan Jambon.
“Our ports have a key role in their regions as leading logistics and industrial centers and are already linked by various multimodal connections. Against the background of the current global challenges, it is only logical that we sustainably strengthen our European partner network and cooperate even more closely,” commented duisport CEO, Markus Bangen.
According to the agreement, the two parties will expand their cooperation in the areas of energy transition, rail and hinterland connections, and port infrastructure with the development of solutions for the import, storage and distribution of green hydrogen being one of the main pillars of the collaboration.
“The goal is to build an international supply chain for hydrogen in which both partners become central hydrogen hubs for Europe,” said a joint statement.
To achieve this goal, duisport and Port of Antwerp-Bruges want to establish a high-frequency rail shuttle in addition to planned pipeline connections and establish rail as a “rolling pipeline”. The expansion of the hinterland network, the promotion of sustainable multimodal transport connections, and the steady shift to environmentally friendly modes of transport are substantial for the realisation of the energy transition.
As both ports aim for climate neutrality by 2050, the development of environmentally friendly port handling equipment is also part of the joint agreement.
Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said, “The import, transmission and distribution of green molecules need short, mid and long term solutions. Developing a robust multimodal supply system will be fundamental to making the change happen. And we are pleased that duisport and Port of Antwerp-Bruges are combining forces to that end.”
