According to The Maritime Executive, a strike that began on March 9 has expanded across Belgium, halting most shipping activity. The industrial action, initially expected to be brief, has been extended and will culminate in a nationwide strike day on March 12, raising the likelihood of significant delays and potential reductions in ferry and other services.

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The dispute involves unions representing maritime workers, including shipping controllers and pilots, who oppose proposed austerity measures from the Belgian coalition government. These measures involve cuts to pension plans, with unions contending the reductions could reach up to 25 percent. Negotiations have persisted for over a year, following a strike in April 2025, a pilot slowdown in October, and another national strike in November.

The unions are calling for a single, unified pension plan for all members. Four unions united last autumn with demands concerning pensions, work rules for new employees, and financial indexing. They reported that over 140,000 people demonstrated in Brussels in October and coordinated a four-day strike in November.

The current strike started with railway workers and was planned for three days. For maritime operations, controllers at the Zeebrugge traffic control center initiated an overnight action, while pilots scheduled a rest period. Instead of resuming work, the Zeebrugge center prolonged its strike, and pilots began a full strike, leading to a rapid escalation. The Zandvliet traffic control center announced an overnight closure, and rescue boat crews in Vlissingen joined the work stoppage.

Shipping backups intensified, with the number of vessels waiting in the North Sea increasing significantly from Tuesday morning to evening. Multiple ships were unable to depart from Antwerp and Zeebrugge, while numerous inbound vessels were holding offshore. Several port calls have been canceled.

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges authority stated it is monitoring the situation and will issue updates. It has warned the maritime industry to anticipate disruptions throughout the week and has previously indicated that clearing accumulated backlogs would require several days.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform