Merger ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge officially and legally a fact
As of Friday, the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge jointly continued under the name Port of Antwerp-Bruges. The two port companies signed the shareholders’ agreement of the unified port company during a general meeting.
The signing is the very last element of the fusion puzzle and the official start of the unified port. “Day 1 of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges as the largest European export port, largest port for transhipment of vehicles in Europe and most important chemical cluster in Europe has started.”
official start
In February 2021, the City of Antwerp and the City of Bruges announced the agreement to merge their ports. That was the official starting signal for the unification process of the ports. After the approval earlier in March of the merger decree and the shareholders’ agreement by the Antwerp and Bruges colleges of aldermen and municipal councils, Friday was the time for the last piece of the puzzle.
The boards of directors of the Antwerp Port Authority and the Brugse Zeehaven Company each convened an extraordinary general meeting to approve the partial demergers and the articles of association of the unified port company. The signing of the shareholders’ agreement of the two public limited companies and thus also the official start of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
Board of Directors
The signing was followed by the first meeting of the board of directors of the unified port company. This board of directors is chaired by Antwerp port alderman Annick De Ridder. Vice-chairman of the board of directors is Bruges mayor Dirk De fauw.
Members of the board of directors for the city of Antwerp are:
- Bart De Wever
- Koen Kennis
- Carole Lamarque
- Kathleen Van Brempt
- Marc Van de Vijver
Members of the board of directors for the city of Bruges:
- Dirk De Fauw
- Pablo Annys
- Mercedes Van Volcem
In addition, also sit independently:
- Wouter De Geest
- Patrick Maselis
- Giulia Van Waeyenberge
- Stephane Verbeeck
The very last puzzle piece has been put in place. -Bruges is today entering day 1 of a bright future as the economic engine of Flanders,” said Annick De Ridder, port alderman of the City of Antwerp and chairman of the board of directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
Dirk De fauw, mayor of the city of Bruges and vice-chairman of the board of directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “As mayor of the city of Bruges and vice-chairman of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, I am convinced that these The merger operation will lead to a sustainable growth of economic activity and employment in both locations and will give a boost to the international reputation of Flanders in the world.
Source: Port of Antwerp