Sea-invest Inaugurates Antwerp Container Terminal
Illustration; Image Courtesy: Port of Antwerp Terminal operator Sea-invest has officially inaugurated the Antwerp Container Terminal (ACT) in the Delwaide dock.
The container facility covers a total area of 63 hectares with 900 meters of quay on the south side and 150 meters at the head end of the dock. The terminal is equipped with three gantry cranes, three mobile cranes and 350 reefer connections.
“With this terminal we are writing a new chapter of our history in the port of Antwerp. Sea-invest started here with bulk activities, then expanded into fruit handling, and several years ago we diversified into tank storage. With ACT we are aiming at pure container activities,”Johan Claes, Managing Director, Sea-invest, commented.
Part of the terminal houses is the Progeco empty container & repair depot. As explained, one of the advantages is that not only does Progeco have its own gate on the landward side but also there is access from the waterfront so that containers can be exchanged in either direction.
ACT has also upgraded the 6,000 m² Borealis warehouse that was already present on this site.
“With this terminal we aim to serve niche carriers, together with ships that can take a lock passage. In this sense our activities here are complementary to the container activities in the Deurganck dock. Our activities don’t in any way diminish the need to develop the planned Seaftinghe dock so that Antwerp can continue to meet the needs of the worldwide container carriers,” Claes stressed.
Additionally, barge operators will not be confronted with waiting times at the terminal: “We make it a point of honour to handle the barges immediately.”
The Sea-invest group acquired the container terminal from Independent Maritime Terminal (IMT) in 2016. The facility was located in the Hansa dock but moved to the Delwaide dock where more water frontage is available to accommodate the future expansion.
