In early April, ICO, in cooperation with the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, completed an important phase in the further development of the Southern Canal Dock. The Belgian dredging company DEME moved almost 1 million m³ of dredged material, as a result of which ICO now has about 600 meters of additional quay wall for RoRo vessels. This is a crucial step in the further expansion of the ICO RoRo terminal.

First Phase of the Southern Canal Dock

The development of the Southern Canal Dock is taking shape. The first phase of works on the ICO terminal, involving the excavation and removal of nearly 1 million m³ of sand and clay soil, has been completed. DEME excavated the upper soil layer of about 600 meters along the quay wall, and dredged the lower layer to a level of -8.5 mTAW. As a result, the permitted draft at the terminal is the same as that of the already existing berths. Thanks to this work, two additional RoRo vessels can now dock.

The second phase of the works includes the excavation of surplus soil on the port site to level the site and make it ready for construction. ICO will then furnish the RoRo terminal with parking lanes and parking lots, as well as facilities for vehicle inspection.

In addition, the excavated soil will be used to level other sites within the port and prepare the truck parking lot along Emmanuel De Cloedtweg.

Rob Smeets, COO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: "This project is a textbook example of port expansion: making smart use of existing space and infrastructure. The development of the site - and the reduction in distance to the internal railway that comes with it - provides a boost in modal shift."

Efficiency gains and reduced CO2 emissions

The development of the Southern Canal Dock is a great example of port expansion by using the available space in the best possible way. First, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, DEME and ICO will use pre-existing port infrastructure, such as the quayside, dock, railway and road, both during and after the works. Second, ICO will utilise vertical space by ‘stacking’ the vehicles in parking garages.

Dirk De fauw, vice chairman of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges Board of Directors: "The development of the Southern Canal Dock strengthens our position as one of the most important European gateways. This is good news both internationally and locally as the dredged sand and clay soil will be used both for the further construction of the terminal itself, as well as for the lorry car park a little further down the road."

The new docking facilities at the quayside mean that the delivered vehicles have to travel a shorter distance to their temporary staging area on the site. Further landscaping of some 32 acres of the terminal in a subsequent phase will also significantly reduce the distance between the parking garages and the internal railway. In other words, the project will optimise operations at the terminal and reduce relative CO2 emissions.

Alain Guillemyn, General Director of ICO Terminals: "Thanks to our new quay, not only do we reduce driving distances and reduce our carbon footprint, but we also increase our capacity for ships, allowing ICO to further position itself as a major player. In addition, we increase safety by better spreading ship traffic. This is an important step forward toward a sustainable and efficient future for us as a company and as part of the port."

Local artist JamzJamezon provided a live demonstration of street art on our ICO container!