Campaign aims to protect port staff against criminal influence
The Transport ministry and the National Drugs Commission have launched a campaign intended to make port and shipping staff more resilient to criminal influence. According to the organisers, criminals are targeting employees in the maritime and logistics sectors to support illegal activities.
The PortAware campaign aims to teach port staff to recognise suspicious situations and respond appropriately. Through a website, videos and online training, employees gain insight into the techniques criminals use to obtain information or put staff under pressure.
Logistics gateways such as ports are particularly attractive to criminals, so the campaign’s focus is on fostering a stronger reporting culture. Employees can report suspicious situations via the established PortWatch platform, anonymously if they wish. Reports are then followed up by the police.
Launching the campaign, Justice and the North Sea minister Annelies Verlinden of CD&V said that employees in ports and on ships played a key role in the security of the logistics chain and deserved more support. National Drugs Commissioner Ine Van Wymersch said a safe working environment was “everyone’s responsibility and depends on resilient employees”.
The national campaign was developed with the maritime sector, the police, the public prosecutor’s office and Ghent University. According to the FPS Mobility and Transport, input from employees should help to further raise awareness of criminal influence and better protect staff against interference by criminal networks.
#FlandersNewsService | A police drone pilot at the port of Antwerp, January 2026 © BELGA PHOTO JAMES ARTHUR GEKIERE
Related news
