Industrial action hampers oil traffic in Antwerp, Ghent

Barge owners in Belgium started a strike Thursday which is hampering operations in the ports of Antwerp and Ghent and inland maritime traffic in Belgium, a local government official and trading sources confirmed.
Maritime traffic down the Rhine -- one of the main waterways used to transport refined oil products to Germany, Switzerland and some parts of Central Europe -- is not affected, they added.
The strike is mainly over pay conditions and the low freight rates charged over the last few years by barge owners. It is affecting barges laden with dry bulk goods and refined products.
"At this moment, some private barge owners are making a public statement about the market conditions which have evolved during the past years," a letter to companies operating in Antwerp port read.
"Especially the fact that they state that they are forced to do business in such a way that barges have to perform services well under unit-cost-price."
A separate document received by Platts from the official in the government of Wallonia -- the predominantly French-speaking southern area of Belgium -- included a list of demands by barge owners.
Traders and barge operators said Thursday that barge owners had moored their vessels in such a way that the traffic is hindered and sometimes even completely blocked in some areas. In some other areas, locks have also been closed for a few hours, hindering traffic, they added.
The areas that are mostly affected are inland rivers in Belgium as well as the ports of Antwerp and Ghent.
"We have heard that there is this blockade going on in Belgium and it is mostly affecting the Antwerp and Ghent areas. The barge owners are blocking for a few hours a day in the areas up to the Albert Canal. I don't really know for certain how long the blockade will last but it will definitely be occurring over this weekend," said one Antwerp-based barge operator.
"Our barges are not currently affected by this blockade but by tomorrow they will be. There is a lot of pressure in this region at the moment -- there are next to no empty barges around as everyone is waiting at terminals to discharge. Barge operators don't seem to be very happy to take barges into Belgium and I can see why."
"It is affecting a few of our barges, which are blocked. This is having a knock-on effect on barge freight rates which are the highest they have been in many years, in my opinion," said a second barge operator.
Traders said that traffic down the Rhine was not affected, but they added the strike could spread to the Netherlands next week.
"Barges owners are saying that they will start doing this from next week as well in the Netherlands," said one. "This is for dry loadings, but the domino effect is delays for oil barges."
A spokeswoman for the port of Antwerp and a spokesman for Ghent were not available for comment.
The following routes and locations were affected Thursday, according to traders and barge operators:
- Route Antwerp to Liege through the Albert canal, towards Hasselt, Herentals, Luik, Sclessin
- Antwerp port
- Route Stein, Albert canal, Antwerp
- Route Ghent, Bossuit, Belgium south
- Route to Brussels
Source: Platts