Belgian logistics giant Katoen Natie has pitched an alternative idea for Antwerp’s long-planned port expansion. Instead of pouring billions into the controversial Tweede Getijdendok on the Left Bank, the group is pushing a faster, cheaper fix on the Right Bank.
Katoen Natie has said redeveloping its 220 ha Bevrijdingsdok concession could deliver an extra 9m teu a year — 2m teu more than the government-backed tidal dock scheme. Better still, the company claims it would save the Flemish taxpayer at least €8bn and shave years off the delivery timetable.
The official blueprint, centred on building a second tidal dock, is slated for completion in 2030 at a projected cost of €8bn. Critics warn it will silt up quickly, requiring heavy dredging and fresh ecological approvals in a region already on edge over industrial land use.
By contrast, Katoen Natie argues Bevrijdingsdok already has the bones of a mega terminal: 4.4 km of quay, existing road and rail links, and room to scale.
Antwerp’s container growth is pressing hard against capacity limits. With carriers shifting calls to competing nearby northern European ports, the fear is that Belgium’s biggest port could bleed market share before 2030.
This is not the first time Antwerp has seen its infrastructure strategy challenged. Previous attempts to break the Left Bank bottleneck have been slowed by lawsuits and environmental reviews, while Rotterdam ploughed ahead and pulled ahead in market share.
