The chemical cluster in Antwerp is not only the largest in Europe, but also the most versatile. All aspects of the chemical value chain from production, storage and transport to logistical services can be found here in one place. A huge advantage for the companies in the port. Moreover, there are also many independent tank storage providers, which offers unique opportunities to companies working with liquid products.

 

In tune with the world

In addition to being the home port for liquid bulk, Antwerp is also known as a hub for polymers. "We can not only process the polymers here, but also store them, bag them and afterwards transport them to, for example, the German chemical hubs. Even optical sorting by color is possible here. All our expertise is gathered here, which offers enormous added value," says Roxanne Adolphy, Key Account Manager Logistics and Transport at Port of Antwerp. "On top of that, we are situated at a strategic location in Western Europe, which ensures that the port of Antwerp is well connected to the rest of the world. For example, we have good overseas maritime connections with the Port of Houston, the world's largest chemical hub. In addition, we have multimodal inland connections with the rest of Europe. Both via inland shipping, rail, pipelines and road, we have easy connections with all the important chemical clusters, including certainly the German Ruhr district.”

Feel the chemistry

Passionate people, specialized storage facilities and a unique transport network: Port of Antwerp is highlighting its assets in a new international marketing campaign. In the campaign, chemical companies and logistical service providers testify about their partnerships. The synergetic collaboration between INEOS Oxide, bECO2 and Van Moer Logistics is an important step in the transition to a climate-neutral industry. As a producer of ethylene oxide and its derivatives, INEOS Oxide is an attractive host for synergetic co-siting: the company offers raw materials, services and utilities which other companies can use in their production processes. bECO2 captures the CO₂ released in the production process of INEOS Oxide and offers it as a circular raw material to producers of shampoo, beer and other products. At the request of INEOS Oxide, Van Moer Logistics has adapted their infrastructure and trained personnel as process operators. In the run-up to a delivery, they can heat up containers, so that the product can be transferred in liquid form to Ineos. The collaboration is a win-win for the three companies: INEOS Oxide can strongly reduce its CO₂ emissions, bECO2 has a continuous inflow of circular raw materials and Van Moer Logistics optimizes the logistics chain.

Customised logistics

Borealis was also looking for partners in the port for the storage and transport of its products. As a leading provider of innovative solutions in the fields of polyolefins, base chemicals and fertilisers, they wanted to be able to respond quickly to last-minute customer enquiries. Oiltanking Antwerp Gas Terminal has been Borealis's long-standing and fully integrated logistics partner since the 1990s. They provide storage for the propylene and propane products and transport them via dedicated pipelines running from Borealis to their own facilities. Katoen Natie has also been a strategic partner for decades. They have built specialized installations for the treatment and storage of Borealis's advanced polymer solutions and also taken charge of the distribution. Thus, it makes sure that Borealis's customers have their products delivered at the right place, at the right time and in the requested capacity.

Waste-to-energy steam

In the port of Antwerp, ECLUSE transports steam via a pipeline network from the waste energy plants of Indaver and Sleco to the surrounding industrial customers who use this steam in their production processes. This allows those companies to purchase steam at favorable rates and turn off their own gas boilers. One of these customers is Lanxess, who now receive process steam "straight from the tap", as it were. Thanks to the partnership with ECLUSE, Lanxess has access to steam at all times and can now focus 100% on its core business. More importantly, ECLUSE enables Lanxess to achieve their sustainability goals. The waste-to-energy steam contributes to Laxness's full steam ahead towards climate-neutral production.

View the testimonials on the Port of Antwerp website.

Port of Antwerp in figures

• The port of Antwerp is Europe's 2^nd largest port
• Container throughput in 2020: 11,860,204 TEU
• Total handling of liquid bulk in 2020: 72,056,151 tonnes

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