ITG Meerhout (BCTN) and PSA Antwerp launch new express barge service for container transfers

ITG Meerhout (BCTN) and PSA Antwerp (PSAA) have signed a cooperation agreement for the launch of a new, fast and reliable barge connection between PSAA's North Sea Terminal (Quay 913) and the ITG Meerhout (BCTN) inland container terminal. The service will be marketed under the name ‘Meerhout – PSAA Express’. 

This new service will commence from 6 January 2026, offering a tri-weekly connection with fixed calls at Quay 913 every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

With the new service, PSAA is taking the next step to further optimise its services with barge operators. By working with fixed time slots and clear operational agreements, PSAA is increasing the predictability and reliability of barge handling. This enables barge operators to plan their operations more efficiently and offer a more consistent and reliable product to their customers.

ITG Meerhout, the largest inland container terminal in the Benelux region, operates 24/7 and remains committed to investing in high delivery reliability. With the launch of this express service, the terminal will provide a timely, point-to-point connection to and from the PSAA terminals via a dedicated barge. This will lead to shorter turnaround times, higher operational reliability, and greater transparency in the logistics chain for shippers and logistics service providers.

“The Meerhout – PSAA Express service combines the strengths of PSA Antwerp and ITG Meerhout to deliver faster, more reliable and sustainable inland connections,” said Edward Tah, Managing Director, PSA Belgium. “By aligning operations and introducing fixed time slots, we’re creating a seamless, predictable solution that helps our customers plan better and keep their supply chains moving efficiently.”

"This fixed point-to-point connection between the PSAA terminal and the ITG terminal in Meerhout ensures a reliable, guaranteed inland transit time that our customers can use to efficiently organise their import and/or export flows,” said David Huybrechts, General Manager Zuid at ITG Meerhout (BCTN). “This also allows us to offer an alternative to the increasing congestion and traffic problems on the roads to and from Antwerp. As a result, ITG now has fixed calls at all major deep-sea terminals."