10/04/2026
Maritime traffic is largely at a standstill in the port of Antwerp after an oil spill
Maritime traffic was largely at a standstill on Friday in the Belgian port of Antwerp, Europe's second-largest cargo port and a major center for the petrochemical industry, due to an oil spill into the river, the port's operating company reported. The accidental spill occurred Thursday evening during a ship refueling operation at the Deurganck dock, one of the port's main terminals, on the left bank of the Scheldt.
The spill was stopped, and cleanup operations were quickly launched on the affected vessels. "The pollution nevertheless spread towards the Scheldt River overnight," the Port of Antwerp-Bruges company added in a statement. Navigation was halted upstream of the terminal, from the open sea, and several locks had to be closed, according to the same source.
https://www.lefigaro.fr/conjoncture/le-trafic-maritime-en-grande-partie-a-l-arret-dans-le-port-d-anvers-apres-une-fuite-de-petrole-20260410
