The Port of Antwerp has announced the opening of a covered warehouse with two railway tracks that will mainly handle steel products, Kallanish notes.
The Antwerp Railhouse is located at the Churchill dock, and is an investment by Zuidnatie, Conti7 and Edmond Van Dyck & Sons. It is to reinforce Antwerp’s position as a breakbulk port and help to increase the share of rail transport in the modal split, the port authority says.
With a volume of 8 million tonnes/year, steel accounts for a significant portion of breakbulk in the port of Antwerp. Since certain steel products cannot tolerate moisture, the covered warehouse is a significant advantage, the authority says. In addition, Antwerp Railhouse will also handle wood, paper and other weather-sensitive products.
With an area of 30,000 square metres, the new facility is equipped with a 40-tonne gantry crane. Trains can drive directly inside to be loaded and unloaded in a conditioned environment. The Port of Antwerp aims to double the volume of freight carried by rail between now and 2030, it notes.
