4ALLPORTS News Update March 2020

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

4ALLPORTS News Update March 2020 4ALLPORTS News Update March 2020 UNCTAD warns of $2 trillion shortfall following COVID-19 News in brief: would mark the end of countries (excluding Gothenburg continues rail investment: Gothenburg has the growth phase of China). The most badly announced plans for continued this cycle cannot be affected economies in expansion of the Gothenburg ruled out. this scenario will be oil Port Line, one of Sweden’s -exporting countries, most important railway links. The almost 10 km line is today a “Back in September we but also other com- single-track line with too low of were anxiously scan- modity exporters, a standard to meet future ning the horizon for which stand to lose traffic needs. An expansion of possible shocks given more than one per- the Port Line to double-track is required to increase both the the financial fragilities centage point of amount of rail traffic and the left unaddressed since growth, as well as total amount of freight traffic. the 2008 crisis and the those with strong Recently, construction of the persistent weakness in trade linkages to the final stage began, which is the The spread of the coro- signs of spreading con- 1.9-kilometer-long stretch demand,” said Richard initially shocked econ- navirus is a significant tagion, the analysis between Eriksberg and Pölsebo. Kozul-Wright, omies. economic threat accord- says. The new section opens for UNCTAD’s director of traffic in 2023. ing to United Nations globalization and de- According to UNCTAD, Conference on Trade However, a combina- Port of Hull deploys electric velopment strate- growth decelerations and Development tion of asset price de- forklifts: A fleet of six, electric gies. "No one saw this between 0.7% and (UNCTAD). The COVID- flation, weaker aggre- four-wheel forklift trucks have coming – but the big- 0.9% are likely to occur arrived at Associated British 19 shock will cause a gate demand, height- ger story is a decade of in countries such as Ports Port of Hull. The invest- recession in some coun- ened debt distress and ment of nearly £200,000 is part debt, delusion and poli- Canada, Mexico and tries and depress global a worsening income of an ongoing effort to reduce cy drift.” the Central American annual growth this year distribution could trig- emissions and make more use region, in the Ameri- of renewable energy generated to below 2.5%, the re- ger a more vicious In its analysis, UNCTAD cas; countries deeply at the port. The Linde forklifts cessionary threshold for downward spiral. will be based at the retail ware- presented a prelimi- inserted in the global the world economy. Widespread insolvency house on the Port of Hull. The nary downside scenario value chains of East and possibly another warehouse has the capacity to which sees a $2 trillion and South Asia, and store 4,800 pallets of cargo, Losses of consumer and “Minsky moment”, a shortfall in global in- countries in the imme- and it is this cargo the forklifts investor confidence are sudden, big collapse of will be used to manoeuvre. come with a $US220 diacy of the European the most immediate asset values which billion hit to developing Union. Port of Zeebrugge gets 5G: Nokia has announced that it UK Chamber of Shipping calls for multi-million pound relief fund has completed the first phase of Port of Zeebrugge’s 5G- The UK Chamber of call, UK Chamber of changes to infrastruc- UK shipping sector ready, industrial-grade private Shipping spoke with Shipping Chief Execu- ture, employment and moves 95% of our wireless network deployment. It aims to provide private wire- the Maritime Minister tive Bob Sanguinetti processes on ships and trade and employs less connectivity to more than Kelly Tolhurst today said: “The world is fac- in ports, but it will only over 180,000 peo- 100 endpoints. (17 March) and de- ing a monumental cri- succeed with the nec- ple. Immediate and Mack Port Terminal under manded an immediate sis. Shipping is the life- essary leadership and ongoing financial sup- offshore wind review:Maine multi-million pound blood of our nation support from govern- port from the govern- Governor Janet Mills has an- government support and we must do what ment today." ment is needed to nounced that her Administra- package to ensure the we can as an industry guarantee the importa- tion will examine the Mack Port “We recognise we are shipping industry can to keep our supply tion of essential medi- Terminal site for opportunities living in unprecedented to support offshore wind activi- continue to bring in lines open for a strong cal supplies, food, times and we strongly ty. An assessment, called the the food, goods and and healthy UK. manufacturing compo- Port Infrastructure and Market urge the government medicines the UK will nents and other goods, Potential Assessment, will be Shipowners will adapt to set up an emergency need to fight the coro- and the future pro- led by the Maine Department to meet the ongoing relief fund to help the of Transportation, the Gover- navirus. spects of our seafar- coronavirus challenges industry in the coming nor’s Energy Office, and the ers.” Department of Economic and After the conference head on. It will mean weeks and months. The Community Development as a part of a Maine Offshore Wind Initiative. www.4allports.com | +44 1502 307037 | [email protected] 1 4ALLPORTS News Update March 2020 BPA calls for more testing er testing, maritime gateways of their customers, across the NHS first and this should and those port work- particularly ferry com- foremost. However be extend- ers responsible for panies and other pas- there is now a pressing ed to key making it happen have senger focused activi- need to ensure that our workers in been identified as ‘key ties such as cruises. port gateways have the the workers’ by the Gov- There are also planned protections they need transport ernment. slow downs such as in such as sanitiser, masks and logis- automotive manufac- and testing equipment tics sector Richard Ballantyne, turing which could be so that they can contin- to ensure Chief Executive of BPA costly for the port and ue to function effectively that food, stated: "Goods includ- logistics industry. Gov- in the coming weeks and The British Ports Associ- energy and other criti- ing food, medicines ernment support pack- months. This will help ation (BPA) is calling on cal goods continue to and energy continue to ages have been wel- ensure resilience of our Government to broaden flow through ports. flow into the country. comed by ports. supply chains. the scope of testing and Port professionals, However like many ensure ports workers including marine pi- other parts of the “We appreciate the “PPE supplies – sanitiser, are protected. lots, play a critical role economy some port unprecedented effort masks etc – are begin- in facilitating 95% operators are con- of the health care sec- ning to run low in some The BPA stated that as of UK trade. Half of the cerned about cash flow tor and understand the ports and this may soon soon as capacity can be county’s food imports issues and the impact need to allocate test- start to have a knock-on made available for wid- come through our on the financial status ing and other materials effect." Bristol reports raw material import soar Bristol Port revealed million loo rolls in total. it into toilet tissue for access to vital com- these difficult times, that in response to all the leading UK modities required. we’re happy to reas- unprecedented de- brands. sure the British public The wood pulp is im- mand following COVID- “That the current ‘must we are working around ported from Brazil, James Stangroom, 19, it has been able to have’ is toilet paper is a the clock to receive and with more than Commercial Manager process 20% extra raw surprise to many, but if process these – and 100,000 tonnes arriving commented: materials to toilet roll it discourages more there are plenty more at Bristol Port in the manufacturers across “Ports are critical to panic buying, and helps to come in the days past six months. It is the UK. Lorries with 28- how this country func- to boost morale in and months ahead!” stacked in huge ware- tonne loads of wood tions - keep- houses before being pulp have been leaving ing supply loaded into lorries and the Port at a record chains mov- transported to tissue rate – the equivalent of ing so that mills. There, the pulp is one every hour, 24/7 – the public are squashed, pressed, carrying enough mate- fed, watered rolled and dried to turn and have rial to make around 4.5 Image source: Bristol Port EU approves CMA CGM and CMPorts terminal deal The European Commis- cluded that the pro- called Terminal Link deal include Odessa link (Cai Mep, Vi- sion has approved the posed acquisitions S.A.S which will be Terminal (Ukraine), etnam), Qingdao Qi- acquisition CMA CGM would not raise compe- jointly controlled by CMA CGM PSA Lion anwan United Advance Port Terminals and tition concerns. CMA CGM and Terminal (Singapore), Container Terminal Terminal Link Holding CMPorts. The terminals Mundra Terminal (China), Vietnam Inter- Pte. Ltd by CMA CGM Under the $955 million are located across Asia, (India), Kingston Free- national Container Ter- and China Merchants acquisition, a total of Europe, the Middle- port Terminal minal (Vietnam), Laem Port Holdings Company ten terminals will be East and the Caribbe- (Jamaica), Rotterdam Chabang International (CMPorts). The Europe- transferred to a pre- an. World Gateway Terminal (Thailand) an Commission con- existing joint venture The terminals in the (Netherlands), Gema- and Umm Qasr Termi- nal (Iraq).
Recommended publications
  • Economic Importance of the Belgian Ports : Flemish Maritime Ports, Liège Port Complex and the Port of Brussels – Report 2006
    Economic importance of the Belgian ports : Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2006 Working Paper Document by Saskia Vennix June 2008 No 134 Editorial Director Jan Smets, Member of the Board of Directors of the National Bank of Belgium Statement of purpose: The purpose of these working papers is to promote the circulation of research results (Research Series) and analytical studies (Documents Series) made within the National Bank of Belgium or presented by external economists in seminars, conferences and conventions organised by the Bank. The aim is therefore to provide a platform for discussion. The opinions expressed are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bank of Belgium. Orders For orders and information on subscriptions and reductions: National Bank of Belgium, Documentation - Publications service, boulevard de Berlaimont 14, 1000 Brussels Tel +32 2 221 20 33 - Fax +32 2 21 30 42 The Working Papers are available on the website of the Bank: http://www.nbb.be © National Bank of Belgium, Brussels All rights reserved. Reproduction for educational and non-commercial purposes is permitted provided that the source is acknowledged. ISSN: 1375-680X (print) ISSN: 1784-2476 (online) NBB WORKING PAPER No. 134 - JUNE 2008 Abstract This paper is an annual publication issued by the Microeconomic Analysis service of the National Bank of Belgium. The Flemish maritime ports (Antwerp, Ghent, Ostend, Zeebrugge), the Autonomous Port of Liège and the port of Brussels play a major role in their respective regional economies and in the Belgian economy, not only in terms of industrial activity but also as intermodal centres facilitating the commodity flow.
    [Show full text]
  • Port of Zeebrugge Is Located in the World’S Most Densely Populated Consumer Area So Your Importing And/Or Exporting Partner Is Never Far Away
    DEDICATED FOOD PORT THE F OOD SECTOR Infrastructure Food cargo travels in many ways: in containers or RORO freight loads, in bulk or reefer ships. That’s why multiple installations for the reception, handling and storage of perishables are found in the port area. What’s more, the Port of Zeebrugge is located in the world’s most densely populated consumer area so your importing and/or exporting partner is never far away. CSP reefer C.RO roro P&O roro Pittmann Seafoods Acutra BIP European Food Zeebrugge Food Center (fish) Logsitics Borlix Zeebrugge ECS Breakbulk Terminal 2XL Flanders Cold Center II Flanders Cold Zespri Center I Belgian New Fruit Wharf Tropicana Tameco Seabridge Verhelst-Agri* Voeders Huys* Seaport Shipping & Trading* Group Depré* Oil Tank Terminal* *Agrobulk terminals located in the port of Bruges C ONCEPT Intercontinental food cargo We know that sensitive reefer cargo and frozen food transport and warehousing deserve a dedicated approach. That is why we have brought together all the official authorities involved with perishable cargo in our Border Control Post (BCP). In this specialised centre, veterinary clearance, customs and maritime police all work under the same roof to speed up the clearance of your cargo, which is completely segregated from other food cargo to avoid contamination with products. In the Port of Zeebrugge, your container can be dispatched to the market while the vessel is at berth; the food cargo can make its way to your customers or be temporarily stored in our deepfreeze warehouses. ContinentalContinental Europe Europe & & UK UK cargo cargo Food cargo originating from the EU travels freely within the unified European market.
    [Show full text]
  • Relationships Between Container Terminals and Dry Ports
    Relationships between Maritime Container Terminals and Dry Ports and their impact on Inter-port competition Master Thesis within: Business Administration – ILSCM Thesis credits: 30 Author: Robert Castrillón Dussán. Supervisor: Leif-Magnus Jensen Jönköping May 14, 2012 INTENTIONALLY BLANK i Acknowledgement _________________________________________________________________________ I would like to thank my supervisor Professor Leif-Magnus Jensen for his support and guidelines. I also want to thank Per Skoglund for his advice and interesting thoughts. Additionally, I want to express my appreciation and gratefulness to all the respondents from the container terminal and dry port industries. Special thanks to the interviewees and respondents of Gothenburg and Jönköping area for their time and valuable contribution to this study. May 2012, Jönköping Robert Castrillón D. ii INTENTIONALLY BLANK iii Master Thesis in Business Administration - ILSCM Programme Title: Relationships between Maritime Container Terminals and Dry Ports and their impact on Inter-port competition Author: Robert Castrillón Dussán Tutor: Assistant Professor Leif-Magnus Jensen Date: 2012-05-14 Subject terms: Container terminals, dry ports, relationship assessment, customer /supplier interaction, inter-port competition, inland integration of port services _________________________________________________________________________ Abstract Globalization of the world’s economy, containerization, intermodalism and specialization have reshaped transport systems and the industries that are considered crucial for the international distribution of goods such as the port industry. Simultaneously, economies of location, economies of scope, economies of scale, optimization of production factors, and clustering of industries have triggered port regionalization and inland integration of port services especially those provided by container terminals. In this integration dry ports have emerged as a vital intermodal platform for the effective and efficient distribution of containerized cargo.
    [Show full text]
  • US Fabrication for Konecranes Rmgs APMT to Monetise Facilities
    FEBRUARY 2018 US fabrication for Konecranes RMGs The steel structures for the and trolley, plus the spreader and The drives and controls for cranes), and multiple US ports eight new Konecranes widespan headblock. The gantry structures the GPA RMGs will be supplied for mobile harbour cranes. Im- RMGs ordered by the Georgia are not, however, included in by TMEIC, which is headquar- portantly, there is no blanket Ports Authority (GPA) for its the waiver, and Konecranes con- tered in Roanoke (VA), and is a waiver for container cranes as a Mason Mega Rail project will be firmed that these will be manu- wholly owned subsidiary of Ja- class, and a separate waiver must fabricated in the USA. factured in the US, but declined pan’s Toshiba Mitsubishi-Electric be sought for each purchase that The Mason Mega Rail project to name the fabricator at this stage. Industrial Systems Corporation. uses any federal grant, for the full received a US$44M grant from The RMGs are very large, TMEIC is also supplying drives price or part of it. the US Government’s FAST- with a span of 53.34m, and to the GPA for new and retrofit The question of whether to LANE programme. This funding 16.7m cantilevers. Capacity is STS cranes, and the RMG drives fabricate RMGs in the US will is subject to a ‘Buy America’ re- 40t, and lifting height is 11m. will have many common parts. come up every time. In the cur- quirement that stipulates a “do- WorldCargo News believes that The decision to use a US fab- rent political climate, where the Fully erect delivery of new cranes has become a familiar site in Savannah, but mestic manufacturing process” these will be the biggest contain- ricator sets an important prece- Trump administration is trying structures for the port’s eight new RMGs will be fabricated in the USA for the steel and iron products.
    [Show full text]
  • Economic Importance of the Belgian Ports: Flemish Maritime Ports, Liège Port Complex and the Port of Brussels – Report 2012
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Mathys, Claude Working Paper Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2012 NBB Working Paper, No. 260 Provided in Cooperation with: National Bank of Belgium, Brussels Suggested Citation: Mathys, Claude (2014) : Economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2012, NBB Working Paper, No. 260, National Bank of Belgium, Brussels This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/144472 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die
    [Show full text]
  • The Economic Importance of the Belgian Ports: Flemish Maritime Ports, Liège Port Complex and the Port of Brussels – Report 2016
    A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Coppens, François; Mathys, Claude; Merckx, Jean-Pierre; Ringoot, Pascal; Van Kerckhoven, Marc Working Paper The economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2016 NBB Working Paper, No. 342 Provided in Cooperation with: National Bank of Belgium, Brussels Suggested Citation: Coppens, François; Mathys, Claude; Merckx, Jean-Pierre; Ringoot, Pascal; Van Kerckhoven, Marc (2018) : The economic importance of the Belgian ports: Flemish maritime ports, Liège port complex and the port of Brussels – Report 2016, NBB Working Paper, No. 342, National Bank of Belgium, Brussels This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/182219 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence.
    [Show full text]
  • DEDICATED AGRIBULK PORT a GRIBULK & L O G I S T I C
    DEDICATED AGRIBULK PORT A GRIBULK & LOGISTIC Terminals Shipping companies / Brokers Actors in the port ZIP reefer APMT reefer C.RO roro P&O roro Pittmann Seafoods Acutra BIP European Food Zeebrugge Food Center (fi sh) Logsitics Borlix Zeebrugge ECS Breakbulk Terminal Flanders Cold Center II 2XL Zespri Tropicana Belgian New Fruit Wharf Flanders Cold Center Tameco Seabridge Seaport Shipping & Trading* Group Depré* Oil Tank Terminal* *Agrobulk terminals located in the port of Bruges W HY P ort O F Z eebrugge Strategically located at the crossroads of cargo flows between the continent and the U.K., Scandinavia and Southern Europe Intercontinental bulk & container shipping services A port with full nautical accessibility and excellent hinterland connections by road, rail and barge Dedicated infrastructure for dry & liquid agribulk products Strong tradition & unique knowhow in the storage, handling, distribution, freight forwarding and final delivery of agribulk cargo Value added activities e.g. toasting & extruding, de-hulling, bagging, sieving, mixing, etc. Reaching over 60% of E.U. buying power within a 550 km. range Tailor-made distribution & investment options M arket S coV ered / S H ort S ea SHORTSEA RORO LINES Cobelfret / CldN DFDS Seaways EML Finnlines Flota Suardiaz KESS / K-Line P&O Ferries SOL Toyofuji UECC SHORTSEA LOLO LINES CMA CGM Containerships DFDS Container Line SCS Multiport CLDN Portconnect Port Authority Zeebrugge | MBZ Isabellalaan 1 B-8380 Zeebrugge/Belgium T +32 (0)50 54 32 11 F +32 (0)50 54 32 24 www.portofzeebrugge.be [email protected] M ARKETS COVERED / I NTERCONTINENTAL Shipping lines C ONTACT US We are glad to point you towards the best possible transport solutions for your needs or offer professional support in setting up your value-added logistics operations.
    [Show full text]
  • Treasure Committee – Oral Evidence Session – the UK’S Economic Relationship with the European Union
    House of Commons – Treasure Committee – Oral Evidence Session – The UK’s economic relationship with the European Union 5th of June 2018 Joachim Coens, President-CEO The port of Zeebrugge Historic link UK – Bruges Now: intermodal hub and gateway for the EU market Zeebrugge bridgehead for the U.K. distribution P&O PSA Top 5 shipping C.Ro companies Zeebrugge – UK: ICO WWL ICO C.Ro ICO TOYOTA ICO Kemi Oulu UK is our main trade partner. We provide Finland tailormade solutions for all traffic to UK. Rauma Uusikaupunki Kotka St.Petersburg Totaal UK 2017: Helsinki Hanko 17.174.003 ton Sweden Ust Luga Thames area: 8.874.119 ton Bergen Norway Paldiski Humber area: 5.596.801 ton OSLO Tees area: 1.751.647 ton Drammen Moss Scotland: 635.119 ton Larvik Estonia Langesund Halden Russia Others: 316.317 ton Stavanger Kristiansand Wallhalm Göteborg Hirtshals Rosyth Den. Teesport Middlesbrough Esbjerg Malmö Hull Killingholme Immingham Gdynia Dublin Eire Grimbsy 46%Cuxhaven or 17.2 million tonnes in 2017 U.K. Emden Bremerhaven Mostly containers and RoRo Amsterdam Pologne Tilbury traffic Portbury Sheerness Neth. Purfleet Rotterdam Southampton 67% export, 33% import ZEEBRLorUemG ipsumGE EmploymentGermany : 5.000 jobs directly linked to UK traffic Belgium Added value: 500 million Le Havre EUR per year directlyCzech linked Rep. to UK traffic France Italy Vigo Livorno Santander Bilbao Pasajes Sète Leixoes Derince Borusan Barcelona Spain Yenikoy Portugal Tarragona Greece Turkey Sagunto Valencia Gioia Tauro Piraeus Malaga Tenerife Las Palmas Tanger Casablanca Mostaganem Tailormade solutions: 69 services a week Zeebrugge bridgehead for the U.K. distribution Day B : Day A : 24 hours 14.00 hrs: ‘order picking’ Delivery in the U.K.
    [Show full text]
  • Port of Antwerp-Bruges Structure Port of Antwerp-Bruges Is a Limited
    Port of Antwerp-Bruges Structure History Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a limited liability company under public law, in Early 2018 Start of discussions between the which the City of Antwerp and the City of Bruges are the sole shareholders. City of Antwerp and the City of Bruges with a view to closer Ownership of the shares is distributed as follows: collaboration City of Antwerp: 80.2% June 2018 Economic complementarity and robustness study City of Bruges: 19.8% Registered office: Zaha Hadidplein 1, B-2030 Antwerp December 2019 Start of negotiations Organisation 12 February Signature of the two-city 2021 agreement between the Board of directors municipal executives of Antwerp and Bruges . Chair: Annick De Ridder . Vice-chair: Dirk De fauw March 2021 Under approval of the municipal . City of Bruges: 3 representatives, including vice-chair Dirk De fauw councils of Antwerp and Bruges, . City of Antwerp: 6 representatives, including chair Annick De Ridder after which the proposal will be . Independent members: 4 representatives referred to the competition authorities Executive Committee Launch of integration process . Nominated CEO: Jacques Vandermeiren The transaction is subject to a number of customary suspensory conditions, including the need to obtain approval from the Belgian competition authorities. Both parties will endeavour to complete the transaction during the course of 2021. A world port ... By joining forces, the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge will strengthen their position within the global logistical chain. Port of Antwerp Port
    [Show full text]
  • GOVERNMENT of FLANDERS 2014-2019 COALITION AGREEMENT All the Pictures in This Publication Were Taken by Tom D’Haenens
    PROGRESS CONNECT TRUST GOVERNMENT OF FLANDERS 2014-2019 COALITION AGREEMENT ALL THE PIctuRES IN THIS puBLIcatION WERE taKEN BY TOM D’HAENENS. VISION STATEMENT GOVERNMENT OF FLANDERS 2014-2019 COALITION AGREEMENT Flanders is facing a difficult and challenging period. We are still struggling with the impact of the economic crisis. Furthermore, the sixth state reform has allocated additional powers to us, but on the other hand there are also major budgetary challenges to be dealt with. At the same time, we are confronted with major social challenges, especially in terms of care and education. Equally important aspects include the need for more jobs; further development of our inclusive community; better quality water, soil and air; critical infrastructure works; and a thriving business climate. Plus, all of this must be achieved on a balanced budget. Our response to these challenges takes the form of a triptych, which embodies familiar historic heritage. We have designed a Flemish triptych for the future: trust, connect, and progress. Trust in our own abilities. Because Flanders possesses all the qualities and talent for achieving our ambition: to be a European leader in terms of welfare and well-being by 2020. But also trust in each other. You do not tackle difficult obstacles alone, but shoulder to shoulder. Therefore trust also means connecting, to each other and to each other’s talent and qualities, so that we can progress side by side. No one will be left behind. Trust begins with transparency, which is why we will tell it like it is. We will all have to make a contribution.
    [Show full text]
  • Connecting the World
    CONNECTING THE WORLD CITY OF BRUGES ENG _INTRODUCTION Bruges has a long maritime history which goes back to the Middle Ages. Medieval Bruges was the meeting place par excellence for traders from all over Europe. Unfortunately, the economic growth came to a halt in the 15th century with the silting of the Zwin region. Thanks to the development of an open seaport at the Belgian coast in the 19th and 20th centuries the city has regained its nautical window on the world. Bruges, with its port of Zeebrugge, constitutes today an economic and logistic growth pole for the 21st century. Zeebrugge, or Bruges by the Sea, is a young seaport with modern port equipment suitable for the largest ships. The present structure of the port dates from as recent as 1985. The emergence of the roll-on/roll-off techniques, the contai- nerisation and the increase in the scale of the ships convinced the Belgian government to develop the coastal port into a deepsea port. An extensive outer port, a new sea lock with entrance to an inner port, gave Zeebrugge a new impulse in the years that followed. As a result total cargo traffic rose spectacularly from 14 million tons in 1985 to 47 million tons today. Zeebrugge belongs to the range of ports from Le Havre to Hamburg, which together handle more than a billion tons of cargo a year. Almost every product the consumer finds in the shops, comes through these ports. Zeebrugge has become, in barely a couple of decades, an important entry port for the European market.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Zeebrugge
    www.portofzeebrugge.be/en/port/history 1st - 11th century The early history of the port began circa 10,000 years before our Christian calendar, when the North Sea came into being as a result of the warming of the poles and a rise of the water level. This resulted in the delta of the large rivers (Rhine, Scheldt and Meuse). Around 500 BC, the new coastal plain was washed over several times by the sea. This resulted in creeks and channels along which ships could reach the hinterland. A settlement where people occupied themselves with salt extraction arose on the edge of this creek area. An archaeological find from the late 19th century also proves the Roman presence. When digging the new sea canal, the remains were found of a Roman vessel that dates from around 200 AD. The name of this settlement also refers to the connection of its inhabitants with the water. Initially, it was called ‘Rogia’ (which is the original name of the navigation channel ’Reie’), but under the influence of Old Norse, the name was later changed to ‘Bryggia’, which means landing stage. In addition to the Reie, there was another creek in the vicinity, the ‘Sincfal’, but it is not clear whether it also connected Bruges to the sea. It was not until the Vikings attacked and plundered the region in the 9th century that the count of Flanders decided to build a fortified castle at this site, around which a residential nucleus developed. Once the invasions and the destructions by the Vikings had stopped, the inhabitants of Bruges started trading with England and Scandinavia, thanks to the excellent connections with the sea.
    [Show full text]