Belgium’s main Flemish port gateways faced a deepening traffic squeeze on 23 June after action by maritime pilots left 43 vessels waiting for service, including 37 ships anchored in the North Sea, according to MDK.
The Flemish Maritime Services and Coast Agency put the offshore queue at 30 ships bound for Antwerp and seven for Ghent.
Another two vessels were waiting to leave Antwerp and four were waiting to leave Ghent.
A further 38 vessels were moving to and from Belgian ports with a Flemish or Dutch pilot on board, showing that traffic had not stopped but was running under heavy strain.
The disruption follows a union call for pilots to take their maximum rest time. MDK said rest time is an individual right, but collective use of it can reduce pilot availability and disrupt shipping traffic. The action entered its eighth consecutive day on Tuesday.
The delays are tied to pilots taking the maximum legally permitted rest periods amid opposition to plans for a private pilotage service that could operate alongside the public system.
The wider dispute also covers pensions, employment status and the future of pilotage services. Inchcape Shipping Services counted 50 vessels awaiting pilotage services on 23 June.
The port agent said the situation was “not a strike”, but the strict application of employment rules and maximum rest periods after duty assignments.
North Sea Port also faced operational disruption. At 12:00 on 23 June, the port authority counted 21 affected vessels, including seven outbound ships and 14 inbound ships, split between delayed sailings and vessels without planning.
The impact is concentrated on access to Antwerp, Ghent and Zeebrugge, three of Belgium’s key Flemish maritime gateways.
Earlier action in June involved ACOD-affiliated sea pilots taking maximum rest time during a 24-hour action over federal pension reforms.
MDK is an agency of the Flemish government responsible for maritime services, coastal operations and pilotage support for shipping traffic between the open sea and Flemish ports.
North Sea Port is the cross-border port authority for the Ghent-Terneuzen-Vlissingen port area in Belgium and the Netherlands.
