Port of Antwerpen joins the European Federation of Inland Ports
At its meeting in Vlissingen, the members of EFIP officially endorsed the membership of the Port of Antwerp, said in the press release.
Antwerp is more than the second largest European sea port. With an inland waterway throughput of almost 90 million tons, Antwerp has also an important inland port function. Currently, one third of the hinterland container traffic to and from the port goes by waterway. The port wants to raise this share up to 40% by 2020. Moreover, over the last years, the Port of Antwerp has been working intensively on a strategy and solutions to improve the barge handling and its hinterland connections by waterway.
“The Port of Antwerp is well connected with the European inland waterway network. It is clear that the Port of Antwerp is using this asset to the full. By developing intermodal projects, the Port aims to further reduce the transit time for barges in the port and to optimise barge connections between the port and its hinterland, thus enhancing the links with the ports in its hinterland. In this respect, Antwerp is sharing the same goals as EFIP. We therefore welcome the Port of Antwerp as new member. We are looking forward to work together on ways to improve the inland waterway links between sea ports and inland ports,” says EFIP’s President Jean-Louis Jérôme.
“By joining EFIP, the Port of Antwerp confirms its intention to further strengthen the position of the sustainable transport modes and to create efficient stable links with the hinterland ports”, says Eddy Bruyninckx, CEO of Port of Antwerp.
