Farmers blockade port of Ghent ahead of talks with Flemish government: disruption to traffic and shipping
Angry farmers are using their tractors to blockade the port of Ghent this morning. Their plan is to keep up their protest for 24 hours, but whether that happens or not will depend on talks between farmers’ organisations and the Flemish government, scheduled at 2pm CET.
Farmers started blocking Zelzate Bridge over the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal at 8.10am. About a dozen tractors drove onto the bridge, preventing it from being opened and barring ships from entering or leaving the port of Ghent.
“Shipping in the Ghent section of the port is at a standstill,” North Sea Port spokesman Johan Bresseleers told VRT.
About a dozen seagoing vessels pass through there daily to unload and load goods. As a result of the blockade they now cannot dock at companies in the port of Ghent or depart towards the Westerschelde.
By 8 a.m. farmers were preventing freight traffic from crossing the bridge. Passenger traffic is still possible.
Where are there problems?
Dozens of farmers set out for the port of Ghent with tractors this morning. Their intention is to block cargo and shipping traffic on the main access roads. Ordinary cars are being allowed through.
The blockades materialised in three places:
On Kennedylaan near Zelzate-East, at the Cosmos roundabout. Here there are now traffic jams for traffic coming from all directions
There is also disruption at Zelzate Bridge. Because tractors are parked on the bridge preventing it from opening larger ships on the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal can no longer pass.
Farmers are set to drive to the Turborotonde at the Euro-Silo to stop freight traffic there.
