Traffic at the ports of Antwerp, Zeebrugge, and Ghent resumed on Wednesday morning after maritime pilots temporarily suspended their strike, reports 24brussels.
The pilots had been implementing work-to-rule actions since October 5 in response to the federal government’s pension reform plans. They agreed to pause their strike for ten days to facilitate negotiations aimed at resolving disputes with the Flemish government.
The pilots set an ultimatum, demanding concrete progress from the Flemish government by October 24 on an agreement made last summer, which called for a definitive pension scheme for pilots to be established by the end of November.
Serious delays
The impact of the strike, compounded by a national strike on Tuesday, led to significant delays in shipping along the Scheldt river and in the North Sea. As of Wednesday morning, the Maritime and Coastal Services agency reported that 210 ships were still waiting for passage.
“With a full crew, every effort is being made to guide shipping,”
The traffic control center in Zandvliet resumed operations on Wednesday morning, ensuring that shipping traffic to and from Antwerp was restored without disruption since 7:30 AM. However, increased traffic density followed the previous disruptions.
“Together with our coastguard partners, additional efforts have been made to monitor the high traffic in the anchorage areas for safety reasons,” stated the Maritime and Coastal Services agency.
All ferry services in the provinces of Antwerp and East Flanders returned to their normal schedules.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
