Port of Antwerp-Bruges has begun offering the Routescanner Direct Connections service via its website, to allow shippers or freight forwarders to find and compare possible routes for container shipments using a neutral platform.
The Direct Connections plug-in will replace the existing connectivity platforms on the Port of Antwerp-Bruges website, displaying all available connections to Antwerp and Zeebrugge and instantly calculating those routes’ CO2 emissions.
The user enters an origin or final destination, and then receives an overview of all available connections to the port, including transit times, distances, mode, and service providers offering that route.
“Shippers and freight forwarders using the platform will also see options they might not initially have thought of themselves,” adds Greet Van Wesemael, Mobility Manager at Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
“For hinterland transport, all transport modes are shown and can be compared at a glance. This should give a push to the modal shift towards more sustainable transport such as railway transport and inland navigation.”
The software acts as a common platform, so that transport providers only have to enter their data one place in order to reach shippers and freight forwarders all around the world. Some 200 inland navigation and railway operators, short sea and deep-sea shipping companies are already on board, the Port notes, with more than 4,500 terminals also connected.
