Port traffic picks up again as pilots suspend strike

Traffic at the ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Ghent resumed on Wednesday morning after a strike by maritime pilots was temporarily suspended. The ports are working through a backlog of over 200 waiting ships.

The pilots had been carrying out work-to-rule actions since Sunday 5 October in protest against the federal government's pension reform plans. They suspended their strike for ten days in the hope of "breaking the deadlock between the pilots' front and the Flemish government".

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The pilots are giving the Flemish government until October 24 to show "concrete progress" in upholding an agreement made with both Flemish and federal ministers this summer. The agreement stipulated that a definitive pension scheme for pilots must be decided upon by the end of November.

Serious delays

Combined with a national strike on Tuesday, the action caused serious delays on the Scheldt river and in the North Sea. According to the Maritime and Coastal Services agency, 210 ships were still waiting on Wednesday morning.

“With a full crew, every effort is being made to guide shipping”

The traffic control centre in Zandvliet has also been operational again since Wednesday morning. As a result, shipping traffic to and from Antwerp has not been disrupted since 7:30. However, the area is very busy following the disruption. 

“With a full crew, every effort is being made to guide shipping,” said the Maritime and Coastal Services agency. "Together with our coastguard partners, additional efforts have been made to monitor the high traffic in the anchorage areas for safety reasons."

All ferry services in the provinces of Antwerp and East Flanders are running on their normal schedules again.

 

#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM

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