Port of Zeebrugge to expand ro-ro capacity

The Belgian port plans to add 156 hectares of space, 28 hectares of which in the southwestern corner of the Southern Canal Dock will will be made available for use in the short term to satisfy growing demand for automotive logistics services.    The Port of Zeebrugge has plans to grow its automotive volumes by as much as 40 percent, according to a statement from the port authority.
   The Belgian port said it will add 156 hectares of vehicle logistics space in the future, on top of the 390 hectares currently in use in the inner port area.
   In the short term, the port will make 28 hectares available in the southwestern corner of its Southern Canal Dock, where a 400-meter quay wall has been under construction since October 2015.
   In addition, a 70-hectare section of the Boudewijn Canal may be developed with a 1,130-meter quay wall to allow berthing by ocean vessels.
   The port authority said the move to expand its roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) capacity resulted from increased demand for automotive logistics services from its customers.
   Zeebgrugge currently sports eight automotive terminals run by five separate operators that feature six pre-delivery and inspection centers and 140,000 vehicle parking spaces.
   The authority estimates it will handle 2.8 million cars and trucks in 2016 and 3.4 million vehicles by 2020, increases of 14.3 percent and 39.9 percent, respectively from its record setting throughput of 2.43 million units in 2015.