Daan Schalck, CEO of North Sea Port, has been named 'Personality of the Year' by the International Bulk Journal. He was presented with the award at the IBJ gala dinner in London for his role in establishing North Sea Port as a leading dry bulk port.
The International Bulk Journal – IBJ for short – is a magazine that follows the ins and outs of maritime transport and dry bulk handling. The magazine presents awards in numerous categories each year at its gala dinner. Most awards are for ports and businesses, while a few go to individuals. An independent jury decides who receives the awards.
One of the awards is for the 'Personality of the Year'. That award went to Daan Schalck and was presented at the prestigious annual event in London. Also present was a large delegation from the port and business community in North Sea Port with dry bulk operations. Daan Schalck took over as CEO of the Port of Ghent in 2009. Since the merger of the Port of Ghent and Zeeland Seaports (Vlissingen and Terneuzen) in 2018, he has been CEO of North Sea Port.
It was no accident that IBJ chose to honour the CEO of North Sea Port, which also earned a nomination for/won the award for the Best Dry Bulk Port. North Sea Port is one of the most important dry bulk ports in Europe. Dry bulk may be a classic sector, but in recent years North Sea Port has recorded a lot of growth in this area. Last year, dry bulk again accounted for 54% of seaborne cargo traffic handled (40 million tons out of a total of nearly 74 million tons) – from ores, coal, grains and seeds, fertilizers and minerals to scrap metal, blast furnace slag, wood pellets, cement, sand and gravel, and even salt. Additional types of goods from the circular economy are already being anticipated for the future. Numerous manufacturers and terminal operators are focusing on those cargo flows and working together to anchor and strengthen their operations and make them more sustainable.
Earlier this month North Sea Port won the annual award presented by the European sea ports association ESPO. North Sea Port was recognised for constructing buffer zones in the Canal Zone and nature restoration in the Moervaart Valley. By these means, the port is enhancing quality of life for local residents.
