RORO & automotive is an important sector for Port of Antwerp-Bruges. Not only because it is the largest automotive port in the world, but because the sector provides a great deal of added value. Several terminals, such as ICO, built specialist Vehicle Processing Centres for this purpose. What exactly are those?
In 2023, Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 20,292,809 tons of roll-on/roll-off cargo (RORO). That amounts to a whopping 3,724,569 cars and 249,020 trucks, buses and other heavy vehicles shipped. Those impressive numbers are only part of the story.
The strength of the RORO sector lies not only in its size, but mainly in the added value it provides. Thanks to the excellent connectivity between the deep sea and short sea networks and the variety of terminal operators, vehicle manufacturers have numerous opportunities for shipping their cars through the port. An essential part of this added value is the Vehicle Processing Centres (VPCs) located at the terminals.
The company ICO specialises in everything related to RORO. Annually, they handle about 2.5 million vehicles, in Zeebrugge and Antwerp. This means they provide for both storage and handling. They have five Vehicle Processing Centres (VPCs). Ines Bommarez, Press and Communications Manager at ICO, tells us all about it.
Ines: "A VPC is actually the place where the cars are prepared to be dropped off at the dealers, or directly with the customer. You can divide the services into several categories:"
Ines: "That would be the manufacturers themselves. We then sort them out for the dealer so they can fully focus on selling. You can see that certain brands do have different requirements there."
Ines: "Most of the services are carried out at our VPC. At the Zeebrugge terminal, we also have hundreds of charging points. Some electric cars must be delivered to the customer with a specific charge. Our charging stations are specially programmed to charge the cars to just above that percentage, so that when the end customer drives out of the garage, the right percentage is on the counter."
By doing the final repairs and cleaning at our Vehicle Processing Centre, this gives the manufacturer peace of mind.
Ines: "Take the example of a car. Sometimes, it has come a long way before it gets here. By doing the final verifications and cleaning here, this gives the manufacturer peace of mind. Moreover, the car can be tailored to the specific market for which it is intended. Most cars today are driving computers. We then update the software so the car can drive effortlessly on our roads. That way, it arrives with the customer in perfect condition."
Ines: "We have 11 wind turbines at the terminal in Zeebrugge, generating a total of 44 megawatts. These fully power our charging stations and our office buildings. The intention is to be completely energy-neutral as soon as possible at our sites in Antwerp and the Zeebrugge outer port as well."
