APM Terminals officially opens Zeebrugge container terminal

APM Terminals officially opens Zeebrugge container terminal    A.P. Moller-Maersk group-owned APM Terminals officially opened the Albert II Dock South container terminal at the Belgian Port of Zeebrugge on Thursday.
   The terminal has been in operation since May. Last month, APM Terminals sold a 40 percent share in the multi-user terminal to the Shanghai International Port Group for an undisclosed amount.
   The Hague, Netherlands-based APM Terminals, has a 36-year concession with Zeebrugge Port Authority to operate the terminal, which currently has an annual capacity of 750,000 TEUs, rising to 2 million TEUs when fully developed.
   When complete, Albert II Dock will have a quay length of 1,300 meters (4,265 feet), a water depth of 16 meters (52.5 feet), a 84.5-hectare yard, and 11 super post-Panamax gantry cranes.
   “The terminal is an important, strategic investment in building the European container port infrastructure necessary to handle the global container trade currently growing at 8 percent per year,” said Peder Sondergaard, chief operating officer of APM Terminals, in a statement. “Waterside and landside infrastructures need to keep pace to support the growth of the global economy and trade.”