A leak from a ship has caused chaos in the Scheldt River, with nearly 50 ships stopped or delayed as experts investigate the potential size and damage of the spill
An oil spill in the Deurganck dock near Doel, part of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, has brought shipping traffic to a halt in the Scheldt River. The leak happened around midnight on Thursday night, emitting from a ship that was docked. It’s possible that a rusty spot was compromised as the ship was refuelling. The leak has been repaired in the meantime.
As the leak was not immediately noticed, it is unclear how long fuel leaked into the river or how much. The spill is, however, affecting locks three kilometres downstream. The port has deployed an aircraft to map the extent of the damage.
It’s all hands on deck to isolate the spill and ensure that as little as possible continues to flow in the Scheldt
Mayor Marc Van de Vijver
There are several nature reserves in the area, such as Doel Polder and the Dutch/Flemish border area known as the Verdronken Land van Saeftinghe. “The possible impact on the surrounding nature reserves is being taken into account,” said Port of Antwerp-Bruges in a statement. “Caring for our environment is an absolute priority. We are therefore doing everything we can to limit operational and ecological damage to a minimum.”
The North Sea Port, which includes Ghent, Terneuzen and Vlissingen, are also expected to face delays from the spill. “It’s all hands on deck to isolate the spill and ensure that as little as possible continues to flow in the Scheldt,” said Marc Van de Vijver, mayor of Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht. “The opening in the ship where the oil escaped measures about eight centimetres. That seems small, but the damage and seriousness of the spill of course needs to be further investigated.”
The Waterbus that runs up and down the Scheldt at Antwerp is still operating, though is not stopping at Lillo or Liefkenshoek.