Crisis update: disruption due to national strike day 25 June

Since midnight, the Flemish shipping service in Vlissingen has resumed, leading to a normalization of inbound and outbound traffic in the Port of Antwerp. Both the pilot tenders and the sea and river pilots are operational. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ towing services are fully deployable, and all available locks are functioning normally.

A large part of the earlier disruption has already been resolved. Currently, 10 vessels are awaiting arrival planning and 3 are awaiting departure planning. If everything continues to go according to schedule, the backlog is expected to be almost entirely cleared by midnight.

Inbound and outbound vessel traffic is experiencing severe disruption due to the strike of the Flemish pilot service in Vlissingen, lasting until midnight. The pilot cutter Wandelaar is only partially operational and is being assisted by a small boat, as the tender swaths are out of service until tomorrow morning. Both sea and river pilots are deployable. The towage capacity of Port of Antwerp-Bruges is currently around 25%. The Van Cauwelaert Lock, Berendrecht Lock, Kieldrecht Lock, Boudewijn Lock, and Kallo Lock are fully operational without restrictions; Zandvliet Lock is only available for inland navigation. At present, 25 departing and 32 arriving vessels are waiting.

The Kieldrecht Lock and the Berendrecht Lock are fully staffed and operational. The Van Cauwelaert Lock and the Zandvliet Lock are currently only handling inland navigation vessels. The Boudewijn Lock and the Kallo Lock are completely out of service.

By the end of the day shift, 29 departing and 31 arriving vessels are expected to be waiting.

Inbound and outbound vessel traffic remains difficult due to the suspended pilotage service in Vlissingen. The pilot cutter Wandelaar is only partially operational and is supported by a launch, as the tender swaths are out of service. River pilots are available. The towage capacity of Port of Antwerp-Bruges is approximately 65%. The Van Cauwelaert lock and Berendrecht lock are fully operational; the Kieldrecht lock is operational for vessels up to 180 meters in length; the Boudewijn, Kallo and Zandvliet locks are out of service. Currently, there are 12 departing and 16 arriving vessels without a schedule or outlook.

Inbound and outbound vessel traffic is experiencing difficulties due to the pilots' strike in Vlissingen. The pilot cutter Wandelaar is only partially operational and is supported by a launch (a small vessel used to transfer pilots, depending on favourable weather conditions), as the tender swaths (high-speed vessels used for pilot transfers at sea or between shore and sea) are out of service. River pilots are available. Towage capacity provided by Port of Antwerp-Bruges is approximately 80%. The Kieldrecht Lock, Van Cauwelaert Lock, Boudewijn Lock, and Berendrecht Lock are fully operational without restrictions; the Kallo Lock and Zandvliet Lock are out of service.