PSA Antwerp selects Stadsbader/DSG to upgrade Europa Terminal’s civil and electrical infrastructure phase 1

On Thursday 15 December 2022, the terminal operator PSA Antwerp and the temporary partnership Stadsbader/DSG signed an agreement to upgrade the civil and electrical infrastructure for the first phase of the works at PSA Antwerp’s Europa Terminal in the Antwerp harbor. The works, that include preparing the yard for new automatic stacking cranes (ASCs), quay cranes and new truck flows, will start on 9 January 2023 and are expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2025.

These works are part of PSA Antwerp and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ grand overhaul of the Europa Terminal. This includes a new deeper quay wall, an expansion of its capacity by 40 percent and modernization of its infrastructure to make it more automatized and sustainable.

PSA Antwerp and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges are responsible for different parts of the refurbishment project that will be executed simultaneously in the coming years. The Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ contractors will build the new quay wall and rear crane track, while PSA Antwerp will upgrade everything on the quay and the yard. PSA Antwerp has now selected Stadsbader/DSG to perform the civil and electrical works for this project.

With the introduction of end-load ASCs, all yard operation and truck handling will be done by ASCs instead of straddle carriers. This new way of handling means a significant capacity increase as, in the future, containers will be able to be stacked with higher density of up to six high, instead of just three high. In order to do so, Stadsbader/DSG will conduct the civil and electrical works to prepare the yard for the ASCs, adjust the truck flows and rebuild the quay. The first ASCs will be ready for testing by February 2024.

The refurbished Europa Terminal will also help PSA Antwerp reach its ambitious sustainability goals. The PSA group aims to reduce its carbon emissions with 50 percent by 2030, with 2019 as a baseline, and have net-zero emissions for all its terminals by 2050. One way in which it plans to achieve these objectives is by investing in new electricity powered equipment such as electric ASCs and quay cranes, resulting in a significant reduction of its carbon footprint. Stadsbader/DSG will prepare the terminal to install this new electrical equipment.

Jurgen De Wachter, the General Manager of PSA Antwerp is enthusiastic about the start of the works: “Because our operations must be able to continue during the extensive works and in order to minimize operational impact, the works will be executed in three major phases. Part of our quay and yard will at different times not be available to us because of the works, but our terminal will remain operational at all times. We have also made extra space available at our Noordzee terminal. We selected Stadsbader/DSG as they have demonstrated during the extensive tender procedure that they can successfully deliver on time and within budget. We are looking forward to cooperating with them to make this transformation a great success.”

Dominique Valcke, CEO of Stadsbader Group, says they “are honored with the confidence that PSA Antwerp has put in them and are proud to contribute to the terminals of the future”. Bob Zegers, CEO of Jeco Energies / DSG, confirms and adds: “we are convinced that we can make a difference with our intelligent e-power solutions”.