The merger agreement between Zeeland Seaports in the Netherlands and the Ghent Port Company in East Flanders, Belgium, was signed on 8 December. All eight shareholders of both ports agreed with the merger in recent weeks. The name of the cross-border merger port will be North Sea Port. This represents the 60-kilometre-long cross-border port area of Flushing, Borsele and Terneuzen in the Netherlands up to Ghent in Belgium.
Early 2018, the European public limited liability company will be established as holding of the two subsidiary companies Zeeland Seaports and Ghent Port Company for which, inter alia, a supervisory body will be installed. The holding will be established in the former town hall of Sas van Gent, in the heart of the port area, just on the border of the Netherlands and Belgium. The future Port House in Ghent – the House of the Free Skippers at the Graslei – will function as an international sign board.
North Sea Port immediately positions itself among the top of European sea ports: it is the number three in added value and the number ten in cargo transhipment. By the year 2022, North Sea Port wants to be a leading brand in the international port world. By then, it wants to increase the added value by 10%, the maritime transhipment to 70 million tonnes (currently 62 million tonnes) and inland transhipment to 60 million tonnes (currently 55 million tonnes). The employment is expected to grow to 100,000 jobs (direct and indirect, currently rounded off 97,000). North Sea Port has almost 1,000 hectares allocatable land.
By means of efficiency, economy of scale, and preventing overlapping activities, North Sea Port offers opportunities to decrease operational costs. These savings may also be beneficial to companies, such as lower rates or a lower increase of rates, for example. In addition, the larger scale will offer a bigger chance of combining cargo flows.
Key figures Zeeland Seaports and Ghent Port Company:
| Zeeland Seaports | Ghent Port Company | Merger port | |
| Operating income | 61.2 million | 43.5 million | 104.5 million |
| of which turnover | 51.6 million | 36.2 million | 87.8 million |
| Profit | 13 million | 16.6 million | 29.6 million |
| Land to be allocated | 600 hectares | 300 hectares | 900 |
| Own staff | 90 FTE | 160 FTE | 250 FTE |
| Port staff | Direct 15,500
Indirect 16,750 Total 32,250 |
Direct 27,800
Indirect 36,700 Total 64,500 |
96,750 |
| Number of companies | 225 | 300 | 525 |
| Added value | 5.1 billion | 7.9 billion | 13 billion |
| Maritime transhipment | 33.2 million tonnes | 29,1 million tonnes | 62.3 million tonnes |
| Inland navigation transhipment | 33.2 million tonnes | 21,9 million tonnes | 55.1 million tonnes |
| Sea-going vessels | 5,800 | 2,900 | 8,700 |
| Inland vessels | 22,500 | 14,000 | 36,500 |
| Port area size | 4,600 hectares | 4,700 hectares | 9,300 hectares |
| Draught | 16.5 m (Flushing)
12.5 m (Terneuzen) |
12.5 m | |
| Shareholders | Province of Zeeland
Flushing Borsele Terneuzen |
City of Ghent Province of Oost-Vlaanderen Evergem Zelzate |
www.hafengent.be; www.zeelandports.com
