Lineas and EWS Group double fumigation capacity in Port of Antwerp

Antwerp, 22 October 2020 - EWS Group, that specializes in fumigation and gas measurement, together with Lineas, the largest private rail freight operator in Europe, will double the fumigation capacity at the Main Hub in Antwerp. This enables them to meet the strongly increased demand for lumber transport from Europe to China. Every week more than 3.000 containers of wood pass through the Main Hub, double of last year’s 1.000 – 1.500 containers per week.

Hundreds of thousands of containers with lumber leave Europe for China every year, where it is processed into chipboard and furniture. This wood comes from German production forests, that have recently become infested with the bark beetle, increasing the speed at which the trees need to be cut.

The wood travels by rail or truck to the Port of Antwerp. The fumigation process then neutralizes the beetles. Fumigation, also known as the quarantine treatment, is mandatory for wood to be transported to China.

After a treatment of 24 hours, the containers can continue their journey. Thanks to a railway connection with the fumigation zone, the containers are brought straight to the deep-sea quays on Lineas’ so-called LORO and RORO trains. They run several times a day to the deep-sea quays on the Port of Antwerp’s Left Bank and Right Bank.

Due to the increased demand from China, Lineas and EWS Group have doubled their capacity on the Main Hub. The cooperation started in 2017 with two zones for twenty 40ft containers. The terminal will now be extended to four zones for twenty 40ft containers.

Share this article

• Twitter
• LinkedIn
• Facebook