H.Essers opens new container terminal in Bergen op Zoom and strengthens sustainable logistics corridor between Antwerp and Rotterdam
Bergen op Zoom, 9 June 2026 – Logistics service provider H.Essers officially opened the H.Essers Container Terminal in Bergen op Zoom today. Strategically positioned on the Scheldt-Rhine Canal, between the Port of Antwerp-Bruges and the Port of Rotterdam, the terminal will become a consolidation hub on the North Sea–Rhine–Mediterranean corridor, one of Europe’s most important transport routes. This investment of €75 million, for an annual capacity of 325,000 TEU, further strengthens H.Essers’ commitment to inland waterway transport for European container freight. The new terminal will also immediately replace the existing inland terminal in Bergen op Zoom.
A terminal tailored to the European corridor
The new terminal features 350 metres of quay, a 6.5-hectare site and storage capacity for 25,000 containers, including facilities for refrigerated cargo and ADR goods. In addition, warehouse capacity has been extended with an extra 45,000 m², bringing H.Essers’ total warehouse space in Bergen op Zoom to 210,000 m². Two inland waterway connections depart daily from the H.Essers Container Terminal to Rotterdam and Antwerp. The site employs 150 people, and indirectly supports 300 additional jobs.
Location outside the embankment makes all the difference
What sets the new terminal apart is its location. The old terminal was situated inside the seawalls, behind the Burgemeester Peterssluis lock and a narrow channel, meaning only smaller inland vessels could reach the wharf. Operations were also limited to the the bridge operator’s work schedule. The new H.Essers Container Terminal is situated outside the embankments, directly on the Scheldt-Rhine Canal, and is therefore accessible 24/7 to larger vessels.
This has direct implications for the movement of containers across Europe. Antwerp-Bruges and Rotterdam apply minimum call sizes for inland vessels mooring at their terminals. Ships must moor with a certain minimum number of containers to ensure the quays are operated efficiently. This requirement is particularly pertinent now that both seaports are facing increasing congestion and every mooring must be carefully scheduled.
That required volume is often unachievable when shipping from an inland terminal, which then must rely on road transportation of the containers to the seaports. The H.Essers Container Terminal, located outside the embankments, provides a seamless solution: smaller inland waterway flows are consolidated on location onto larger vessels that meet the call sizes. This means the containers remain on the water from start to finish.
A new step in the modal shift
With the new H.Essers Container Terminal in Bergen op Zoom terminal, H.Essers is continuing its synchromodal strategy: transporting cargo in the most efficient way by making optimal use of the various modes of transport (road, water and rail) and increasingly opting for inland waterway transport. Inland waterway transport consumes significantly less energy per tonne-kilometre than road transport, and also relieves pressure on a European road network that is increasingly reaching its limits.
“The H.Essers Container Terminal is more than just an infrastructural milestone,” says Gert Bervoets, CEO of H.Essers. “This location between Antwerp and Rotterdam, right on the North Sea–Rhine–Mediterranean corridor, offers a logistics model that is less dependent on road transport and fully integrated into the main European corridors. For our customers, this means faster and more predictable connections between Antwerp and Rotterdam. For the region and for Europe, it means less pressure on the roads and a lower carbon footprint per container.”
Environmental impact reduced at multiple levels
The H.Essers Container Terminal was designed with specific attention to its environmental impact. Operationally, the site uses zero-emission gantry cranes and 19,000 solar panels. Moored vessels can switch off their diesel generators using shore power whilst docked. Longer term, the site will also be equipped to serve as a charging point for the electrified inland waterway transport of the future.
The location outside the embankments results in a significant reduction in nitrogen emissions: as ships no longer have to pass through the lock and under the bridge, loading, unloading and turning round are more efficient, which reduces emissions per container handled. On the wider road network, the modal shift translates into a daily reduction of approximately 260 lorry movements in and around Bergen op Zoom.
The integration into the natural environment was also carefully addressed. The terminal is situated between two Natura 2000 areas, which required a nature compensation measure involving 1.5 hectares of reed beds being relocated and transformed into three new islands in the surrounding water area.
Strategic growth for H.Essers
The new terminal complements H.Essers’ existing services in the region, including customs clearance, storage of hazardous substances and value-added activities such as filling. As such, the site plays a central role in H.Essers’ Dutch growth strategy, a process accelerated by the acquisition of the chemical activities of the Meeus Group.
Impact on the region
“As a company, we are increasingly focusing on transport via inland waterways,” says Operations Manager Richard Klaassen. “The improved accessibility of the new terminal via the Scheldt-Rhine Canal also reduces traffic congestion through the built-up area.”
Additionally, the move benefits local residents: more and more residential areas have sprung up around the old terminal, and the site has been handed over to the local council for new use. The H.Essers Container Terminal Bergen op Zoom itself is now located entirely outside the municipality.