PSA Belgium upgrades Europa Terminal to handle Next Generation Container Ships

10 November 2022 | PSA Belgium and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges have officially launched the project to upgrade Europa Terminal! The works to upgrade the quay wall and the terminal will take nine years and require an investment of EUR 835 million, including over EUR 500 million by PSA. When completed, Europa Terminal will have an increased capacity and be able to handle the largest container vessels in the world whilst simultaneously reducing its carbon footprint.

Officially inaugurated in 1990, the 32 year old Europa Terminal was Antwerp’s first tidal container terminal. This refurbishment includes an upgraded quay wall of 1,200 meters and 16.5 metres depth, which will enable Europa Terminal to eventually handle vessels up to 25,000 TEUs in size. Currently, it can accommodate ships up to 11,000 TEUs in size.

General Manager of PSA Antwerp Container Business Jurgen De Wachter explained: “The biggest ships that will dock at the new quay wall have yet to be built. This terminal is truly being constructed with future growth in mind.”

The works are complicated as they involve reorienting the quay wall in order to allow these larger ships to dock without hindering passing vessels, as the Europa Terminal is located on the narrowest stretch of the river Scheldt. The project itself will be completed in three phases, in a way that allows two-thirds of the terminal to remain operating throughout the project.

The upgrading project will also increase the terminal’s capacity by more than 700,000 TEUs per year, a 40% increase over current capacity. The addition of new electric yard equipment and other optimisation measures will also reduce the terminal’s total carbon footprint by over 50%.

Also part of the upgrading project are new quay cranes with platforms to improve employee safety, along with a new office and maintenance building at the terminal, graded “excellent” by the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM).

Jurgen emphasised that the project will be significantly more ecologically friendly: “We will become more sustainable as we switch from diesel to electricity for the handling of equipment and adding wind turbines on the terminal. Moreover, works will include an underwater dam that will better protect the nearby nature reserve, Galgenschoor.”

Antwerp Alderman and Chairman of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges Annick De Ridder agreed, saying: “This is a perfect example of how you can make great efficiency gains on an existing terminal.”

CEO of PSA Belgium Cameron Thorpe highlighted PSA’s commitment towards Belgium and the Port of Antwerp. He said: “As global logistics leaders, we take our responsibility very seriously when it comes to sustainability. PSA Belgium has utilised renewable electricity since 2017 for its facilities and we continue to focus on our goal of reducing our CO2 emissions by more than 50 percent by 2030, which can only be achieved by the further introduction of new technology. The key challenge in accomplishing this will be to keep the terminal operating and to enable our customers to continue to grow in Antwerp, which is why the project has an extended timeline. However, when completed, our capacity will have increased by over 40 percent, and we will have ‘future-proofed’ our handling capability.”