On 29 May 2026, the Flemish Government approved the draft project decision for the Left Bank Container Cluster (CCL – Containercluster Linkerscheldeoever). This marks an important milestone in the Extra Container Handling Capacity Antwerp (ECA) project, which is designed to prepare the Port of Antwerp for the continued growth of container traffic.
ECA is a joint initiative of the Flemish Department of Mobility and Public Works, Port of Antwerp-Bruges, and the Left Bank Development Corporation (Maatschappij Linkerscheldeoever). The project will increase Antwerp’s container handling capacity by 7 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs).
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Johan Klaps, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “We are pleased that this major step forward has been taken. Around the world, an increasing share of goods is transported in containers. Demand for container handling also continues to grow in Antwerp. Without additional capacity, cargo volumes—and the economic activity that comes with them—risk shifting to competing ports. The Left Bank Container Cluster will enable us to continue handling growing container volumes efficiently and secure the future of the port.”
Second Tidal Dock
The Left Bank Container Cluster (CCL) forms the core of the ECA project. Its central component is the construction of a Second Tidal Dock for container vessels, adjacent to the existing Deurganck Dock.
Connected to the new container terminals will be the Three Docks logistics area, providing space for container logistics operations, as well as a substantial landscape buffer separating the port infrastructure from the surrounding polders and the village of Doel.
Other elements of the CCL project include:
- filling in the Northern Cut Dock to create a new container terminal;
- constructing a marshalling yard for container freight trains;
- relocating high-voltage power lines;
- developing the De Bieshoek industrial and logistics zone; and
- creating two new nature areas in Doelpolder South and Prosperpolder South.
In Balance with the Surroundings
The development of the CCL project places strong emphasis on balancing economic growth with environmental and community considerations.
A landscaped buffer zone featuring a high earth berm will separate the new infrastructure from nearby residential and rural areas, helping to reduce noise and light pollution. The container terminals will use the latest technologies to operate more quietly and with zero local emissions. Inland navigation and rail transport will account for a larger share of hinterland transport, while the remaining truck traffic will be routed away from nearby villages.
Next Steps
A public consultation will take place from 12 June to 10 August 2026.
Following a careful assessment of the feedback received during the consultation, the draft project decision may be amended where necessary. It will then be submitted to the Council of State for advice. After that process has been completed, the Flemish Government will be able to adopt the project decision definitively.