COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited, the world’s leading ports operator, and the Port of Zeebrugge held an online signing ceremony and agreed to extend the concession of the CSP Zeebrugge Terminal by 15 years to 2055. Mr. Zhang Dayu, Managing Director of COSCO SHIPPING Ports and Mr. Tom Hautekiet, CEO of the Port of Zeebrugge, signed the agreement on behalf of the two companies.
Mr. Zhang Dayu, Managing Director of COSCO SHIPPING Ports, said: “CSP Zeebrugge Terminal has strong momentum of growth in recent years. In 2021, CSP Zeebrugge Terminal enjoyed a 53% increase in volume to approximately 930,000 TEU, which would not have been possible without the excellent corporation between the Port of Zeebrugge and COSCO SHIPPING Ports. As the first holding terminal in Northwest Europe, CSP Zeebrugge Terminal, is and will always be in the top priority in COSCO SHIPPING Ports' strategy. The extension of the concession is a next milestone for both of us. We are looking forward to enhancing our cooperation with the Port of Zeebrugge, further developing the terminal and enhancing our operational capability to provide competitive service to all customers.
Mr. Tom Hautekiet, CEO of the Port of Zeebrugge, said: “The extension of the concession term offers new opportunities for the port of Zeebrugge in the near and distant future. The cooperation with COSCO SHIPPING Ports has certainly already borne fruit. The strong growth in the share of deep sea container traffic resulted in an increasing interest of other shipping companies and services for the Zeebrugge port system. Together we want to lift the pioneering role of the port of Zeebrugge for international logistics to a higher level and optimize the port infrastructure within the framework of our intended 'clean port strategy'.”
CSP Zeebrugge Terminal is the first subsidiary of COSCO SHIPPING Ports in Northwest Europe and our Company has a 85.45% stake in the terminal. The Terminal enjoys a favorable geographical location with more than 1200-meter quay length and 17.5-meter depth alongside. It has three berths and is capable of satisfying the needs of mega-vessels. CSP Zeebrugge Terminal is adjacent to Hamburg and Le Havre districts, close to the UK. As a transportation hub leading to all directions, the Port of Zeebrugge has good road and rail networks connecting various countries in Europe, as well as coastal ports in Northwest Europe, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe.
CSP Zeebrugge Terminal optimizes the network in Northwest Europe for the dual brands of COSCO SHIPPING Lines and OOCL, as well as the Ocean Alliance, and maximizes the synergy effect. Under the existing concession rights agreement, the concession of CSP Zeebrugge Terminal is 36 years, from January 1, 2005 to December 31, 2040. The extension of the concession to 2055 will help better strengthen CSP Zeebrugge Terminal as a hub port in Northwest Europe.
About COSCO SHIPPING Ports (https://ports.coscoshipping.com)
COSCO SHIPPING Ports Limited (Stock Code: 1199.HK) is a leading ports operator in the world; its terminals portfolio covers the five main port regions in Mainland China, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South America and the Mediterranean. As at 30 September 2021, CSP operated and managed 370 berths at 37 ports worldwide, of which 223 were for containers, with a combined annual handling capacity of 124 million TEU.
