What began on Monday evening as a strike at the shipping control tower in Zeebrugge has escalated rapidly over the past 24 hours. After maritime pilots joined the action, work also stopped at the traffic control centre in Zandvliet on Tuesday evening, according to several sources in the sector.
Around sixty ships were already waiting on Tuesday morning as a result of the disruption. Vessels are currently held up in the North Sea and near the ports of Zeebrugge, Ghent and Antwerp. The number is likely to have increased since then and could continue to rise in the coming days.
The shipping control tower in Zeebrugge had already ceased operations, and the tower in Zandvliet, Antwerp, has now joined the strike. "The port of Port of Antwerp-Bruges will be completely closed from 7.30 p.m.," a spokesperson for the port authority said on Tuesday. Staff will intervene only in the event of collisions or other major safety incidents at sea or on the Scheldt.
