News

ICT magazine Data News has named Erwin Verstraelen, Chief Digital, Information & Innovation Officer (CDIIO) of Antwerp Port Authority, as CIO of the year. He has won this award thanks to his clear strategic vision and ambition for digitising the port. "Port of Antwerp has set a new course, with digital transformation being an important part of it. Innovation and digitisation are levers for sustainably maintaining and further developing the competitiveness of our port in the long term," declared Erwin Verstraelen. "Port of Antwerp aims to help companies in the port embrace digital innovation."

Today, Wednesday 14 November, a collaboration agreement was signed in the port of Antwerp between on the one hand Antwerp Port Authority and its consultancy and investment subsidiary Port of Antwerp International (PAI) and on the other Enabel, the Belgian development agency.

The SAFIR consortium, a group of 13 public and private organisations, has been selected by Single European Sky ATM Research Joint Undertaking (SESAR JU) to demonstrate integrated Drone Traffic Management for a broad range of drone operations in Belgium.

Throughput continues to register growth in the Port of Antwerp. After record semi-annual figures, the total throughput after nine months stands at 177,026,550 tonnes – a sharp 6% increase compared with the same period last year. With these results, the port seems to be on track for the sixth record year in a row. The recent wave of investments moreover confirms the port’s appeal and reaffirms its role as a world player.

The port of tomorrow is a smart port with a leading role for innovation and digitization. The chainPORT hackathon was held from 11 to 13 October for the first time simultaneously in the ports of Antwerp and Los Angeles.

Shortsea operator Samskip is introducing a new shortsea service between Antwerp and Hull as of 12 October this year. Antwerp will serve as the point of departure for quay-to-quay transport between the continent and the UK.

25 secondary school pupils became co-workers at Antwerp Port Authority for one day, on 18 October, as part of YOUCA Action Day (Youth for Change and Action). The amount of money that they earned – 50 euros per student – went to a project in the port city of Guayaquil in Ecuador aimed at improving the prospects of young girls in the most deprived areas of the city.

During the EPCA annual networking conference, the main get-together for petrochemical companies worldwide, Port of Antwerp laid on a lavish entertainment for the chemical giants attending, to thank them for their confidence in the port of Antwerp over the years. An extra boost was given by the announcement of a mega-investment by the petrochemical company Borealis, to build one of the largest PDH plants in the world. Can you too feel the chemistry in the port of Antwerp?

Today EU Transport Commissioner Violeta Bulc launched the European network for drone demonstration projects.

The port of tomorrow is a smart port with a leading role for innovation and digitization. The chainPORT hackathon was held from 11 to 13 October for the first time simultaneously in the ports of Antwerp and Los Angeles.