Stemcor chooses Antwerp as steel hub

Shipping Time reported that the British group Stemcor has chosen Antwerp as its hub for European steel distribution. For this purpose it has signed a long term agreement with the Antwerp based company Katoen Natie.

Mr Robert Van der Weck manager said that “This agreement will enable us to give our customers even better service.” He added that “These customers are located within a radius of 650 km around the port of Antwerp permitting shorter delivery times. Furthermore the wider range of value - added services such as cutting and processing will offer even more choice for our customers.”

Stemcor also has local warehouses in France, Germany and Scandinavia, enabling it to react even more flexibly to customers' requirements.

In Antwerp the steel will be stored and treated by Katoen Natie in a specially built distribution centre. Katoen Natie will also export European steel to Stemcor’s international customers.

Mr Luc Arnouts, chief commercial officer of Antwerp Port Authority said that “Our inland location in the heart of Europe bringing shippers close to the European consumers together with our expertise as the leading European steel port represent advantages which make customers such as Stemcor eager to opt for Antwerp.”

As the European market leader the port of Antwerp handled more than 10 million tonne of steel in 2011. Thanks to more than 250 regular breakbulk calls per month there is a very wide range of overseas destinations both by deepsea and by shortsea.