On 8 December, the Ports of Ghent and Zeeland officially signed their merger agreement. Minister-president Geert Bourgeois and the Dutch Minister of Infrastructure and Environment, Cora van Nieuwenhuizen were present at the signing ceremony where the name and logo of the new port was announced.
The new “North Sea Port” will be an European company, jointly led by the two current CEOs of the merging ports, Daan Schalck of the Port of Ghent and Jan Lagasse of Zeeland Seaports. The corporate headquarters of North Sea Port will be in the Netherlands.
The signing is the final stage of a long process. Proposals for a far-reaching cooperation between the ports has been on the table for a long time. The announcement of the merger was made on 7 November 2016 at the Flemish-Dutch summit in Ghent. Now, after a year of negotiations and the approval of the shareholders, the new port is a fact.
In his speech, Minister-president Bourgeois congratulated all parties involved for their efforts and hard work. He emphasized that the new port shows our ability to transcend borders for successful international collaboration, especially with our northern neighbour, the Netherlands.
General Representation of the Government of Flanders in the Netherlands
