Professionals from the maritime and logistics sector gathered on Thursday 17 October for the Flows event Container Trends. Once again, a deep dive into the container business was taken and both waterfront trends and their impact on land were examined.
The year 2024 did not become a year of disaster for liner shipping because of overcapacity, as was predicted. In fact, due to the Red Sea conflict, the industry worldwide almost experienced a repeat of the corona crisis with a shortage of vessels, high spot rates and port congestion once again. The question is how long the boom for carriers will last.
It was one of the topics highlighted in detail by Stefan Verberckmoes, senior data analyst at Alphaliner. New alliances and the shifts they bring were also discussed in detail.
Panels
This was followed by an inspiring discussion on the growing role of inland terminals and how investments in them by major shipping companies, among others, are transforming the logistics landscape. Ellen Meuwissen Meeuwissen (MSC), Dirk Vanhoutteghem (Gosselingroup), and Benjamin Hermans (Port of Limburg) discussed the challenges and opportunities for the sector.
Freight forwarders, on the other hand, are worried about the (digitalisation of the) customs processes, according to an interview with FORWARD Belgium chairman Wim Gijbels.
The port of Antwerp is struggling with a shortage of capacity. Because the ECA project – a second tidal dock that should already have been operational – is delayed, Katoen Natie came up with a plan. The Bevrijdingsdok, once home to MSC in Antwerp, could once again function as a container dock.
Creative
The plan was presented by Vincent Vandecauter of Katoen Natie, after which a fascinating discussion ensued and Vandecauter was joined by Johan Van Daele (MPET) and Stefan Verberckmoes. The pros and cons of a dedicated container terminal at the Bevrijdingsdok were weighed up. Some creative solutions were also proposed to make even more optimal use of the limited space.
A video report of the event can be found via this link.
View the photo album here:
