Oil Spill At Port Of Antwerp Halts Shipping Operations & Spreads To Doelpolder Wetlands

Shipping operations stopped at Belgium’s Port of Antwerp on Friday after an oil spill occurred during bunkering operation of the container ship MSC Denmark VI.

Authorities at Europe’s second-biggest port raced to contain the spread of the oil spill, which happened at the port’s Deurganck Dock, used by some of the largest vessels in the world.

By Friday afternoon, the main access lane through the tidal Scheldt estuary had reopened to shipping.

However, the Deurandanck Dock is still closed as specialised vessels are cleaning up the area, including the many container terminals and locks affected by the incident.

Many container ships and cargo ships at the Antwerp port were also affected by the shutdown of operations.

According to port authorities, the spill has spread to the Scheldt River, and civil protection and maritime and coastal services are monitoring its impact on riverbanks.

They are focusing on preventing further ecological damage and are cleaning the most vulnerable areas first.

The port spokesperson said that the priority at the moment was safety and safeguarding the crew, the terminal and the environment.

As of now, the oil spill has covered at least three kilometres and affected natural reserves such as the Doelpolder wetlands, a breeding ground for birds in the area.

Flemish environmental group Climaxi said that ship refuelling operations were the principal cause of oil spills in the region.

Antwerp Port is the second-biggest in Europe after Rotterdam in the Netherlands and handles around 267 million tonnes of goods annually.

Around 20,000 ocean-going ships and 50,000 inland vessels visit the port every year.