a world class terminal
Zeeland Seaports intends to take full advantage of the move towards containerisation, and is firmly committed to the development of a large-scale container terminal in the port. Transport of goods by containers has increased hugely and is still growing.
Features of WCT
The WCT is rightly a World Class Terminal with a natural location on deep water, an open connection with the North Sea and close to the major shipping lanes. Its unique location, no more than a 1-hour sail from the North Sea, without time-consuming nautical manoeuvres, makes the terminal particularly attractive to the largest container ships of today and the future.
A large part of the WCT will be built outside the dike on the Kaloot. Behind the dike is the port area of Vlissingen. Throughput capacity on the sea side is about 2.5 million TEU per annum. Along the quay, regardless of the tides, there is space for 5 deepsea container ships (ULCS, > 15,000 TEU, LOA 400) and 1 feeder or 4 deepsea container ships (ULCS, > 15,000 TEU, LOA 400) and two feeders to dock simultaneously. Zeeland Seaports aims to be a sustainable port wherever possible, and that is why it is promoting transport to and from the port by water as much as possible. To achieve this, the terminal has integrated, sheltered inland shipping/shortsea facilities.
The arrival of the WCT will generate hundreds of jobs. These will be jobs at the terminal itself, office jobs and a variety of engineering jobs. In addition, employment will benefit indirectly from the WCT through jobs for additional activities at the WCT, new businesses moving to the area, new activities at existing businesses and a boost to employment in logistics and additional sectors.
Hinterland connections
The WCT will be connected to the existing infrastructure towards eastern and southern Europe via the N62 (Sloeweg), the A58, the Westerschelde Tunnel and Tractaatweg and the Zeeland Line. What's more, thanks to its location the WCT has very good facilities for the arrival and departure of goods by sea (transhipment) and by inland vessel.
According to independent experts, the infrastructure can cope with such growth. In addition a range of initiatives are currently being started up to enable the infrastructure to grow and keep pace with the expected increase in cargo and other traffic by the different modalities.
Zeeland Seaports will conclude a management agreement with the future operator and the province on traffic management and policy in the port as a whole, in such a way to keep air pollution, congestion and noise to a minimum. The agreement will lay down the agreements with the operator regarding the share of road transport in relation to controlling the number of transport movements.
Schedule
We are aiming to start construction work for the WCT in 2012 so that the first container can be handled in 2016. But before we have reached that stage, the government authorities with decision-making powers must first take a number of decisions. The necessary studies for preparing the procedures to be followed have already been carried out. The latter, however, will only take place once Zeeland Seaports can demonstrate to the government authority concerned that there is genuine commitment with a future operator. Zeeland Seaports is currently carrying out a market consultation to find suitable candidates for the future operation of the WCT.
