Two Belgian ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge officially merged

　　China News Agency, Antwerp, April 28 (Reporter De Yongjian) Competitors before the merger, complementary advantages after the merger - two major Belgian ports, Antwerp Port and Zeebrugge Port, officially merged on the 28th, becoming the largest export port in Europe. .

　　The merger ceremony was held at the Antwerp Port Authority on the same day. The merged port was named "Antwerp-Bruges Port". The former part was the city of Antwerp under the Port of Antwerp, and the latter part was the city of Bruges under the Port of Zeebrugge.

　　The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge are the largest and second largest in Belgium.

In February last year, the cities of Antwerp and Bruges started the port merger process.

After more than a year of negotiation, the two cities signed a shareholder agreement on port merger on the 22nd of this month, until the port was officially merged on the 28th.

　　According to the estimates of the Antwerp Port Authority, the port of Antwerp-Bruges is expected to provide more than 160,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities, with a revenue of nearly 21 billion euros, accounting for about 4.5% of Belgium's GDP, and its economic engine plays a pivotal role.

　　At a press conference on the 28th, Antwerp-Bruges Port Board Chairman and Antwerp Deputy Mayor Deli Dale said that Antwerp Port and Zeebrugge Port were competitors in the past, but now they complement each other's advantages. In the chemical industry cluster, the Port of Zeebrugge is stronger than LNG transshipment. In the future, cooperation can be deepened to jointly expand market share.

　　In addition, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges will consolidate its status as a "green energy hub" and contribute to the energy transition, including the continuation of CO2 capture, storage and utilization projects, with plans to capture, store and use the first 2.5 million tons of CO2 by 2025; use Antwerp The port's chemical cluster and the seaside location of the port of Zeebrugge are promoting the development of the hydrogen energy industry, with plans to make the port capable of receiving green hydrogen by 2028.

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