Port of Antwerp can now accommodate bigger ships

The Port of Antwerp has now officially raised the draft limit to 16 meters from the previous 15.56 meters, enabling it to accommodate bigger container ships at the Deurganck dock.

PHOTO: Container ship MSC Aurora at Port of Antwerp. Port of Antwerp-Bruges authority

The MSC Aurora was the first container ship with a draft of slightly under 16 meters to anchor at the Deurganck dock last Friday.

The increase in draft limit at the Deurganck dock from 15.56 meters to 16 meters can result in an estimated gain of around 1,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) for container vessels, according to the Port of Antwerp-Bruges authority.

The Port of Antwerp has been preparing and conducting vessel trials over the past three years to raise the draft limit. This included a series of six trial voyages, beginning in March 2021, with two MSC vessels having drafts of 15.70 meters. Subsequent trials in July 2022 involved two MSC ships, each with a draft of 15.90 meters, and the fifth trial in October 2023 featured a ship with a 16-meter draft.

These trials helped in the decision to officially raise the draft limit to 16 meters at the Deurganck dock. Meanwhile, the Port of Rotterdam can accommodate a maximum draft of 24 meters, while the Port of Amsterdam can receive vessels with a maximum draft of 13.75 meters.

Draft refers to the vertical distance between the waterline and the bottom of a ship's hull. It affects how much cargo a vessel can carry and where it can sail.

By Manjula Nair

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