While the farmers' protest came to a head in Brussels on Thursday, the tractor blockades have not all disappeared. In addition to the shut-off distribution centres, the continuing blockade at the port of Zeebrugge has left some 2,000 truck drivers stranded in the area.
Almost 2,000 trucks are currently blocked in the area in and around Zeebrugge as farmers have been blocking access to the port for days. But many drivers were not prepared for this and do not have sufficient food with them, and often do not have access to sanitary facilities.
"Since Tuesday afternoon, the entire port has been blocked," Gert-Jan De Smet, manager at transport company North Sea Express, said on Flemish radio on Friday morning, adding that dozens of drivers travelling for his country are stuck in Zeebrugge.
He said that this is not just unpleasant but downright dangerous. "They are parked in unsafe places: on the breakdown lane or even just on the right lane. These are astounding situations."
Truck drivers are stuck at a blockage in Zeebrugge port. Credit: Belga/Kurt Desplenter
On Thursday, the governor of West Flanders Carl Decaluwé triggered the provincial contingency plan, as a growing number of companies in the area were impacted. He will hold talks with farmers blocking the port today.
Police warn of disruption and delays and are urging people to avoid the Zeebrugge area. Those who do need to go to Zeebrugge are advised to go to the car park of Ostend Airport, where catering and sanitary facilities will be provided for stranded drivers.
"Too little and too late," De Smet said, but he did acknowledge that "anything is safer than having to be double parked on the motorway." Additionally, he fears that the number of stranded drivers in the Zeebrugge area could still rise sharply. "On weekends, it often gets a bit busier there."
Truck drivers are stuck at a blockage in Zeebrugge port. Credit: Belga/Kurt Desplenter
The blockades are also a financial drain, De Smet stressed: he estimates the loss to his own business at around €250,000 and "the total economic damage will be in the millions." For the time being, his customers – mainly supermarkets in the United Kingdom – are understanding, but he assumes that "at some point, that understanding will run out."
In the meantime, some of the tractors that blocked Brussels on Thursday are persisting today by preventing access to ports and distribution centres, which is raising fears of empty supermarket shelves as supply chains are blocked. Dissatisfied with the outcome of the meeting with EU leaders in Brussels, one farmers organisation said: "Nothing changes. Now we block the country."
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Therefore, De Smet hopes that everyone can get back to business soon, but emphasised that even if the blockade were to be lifted today, the problems are not yet gone. "That will be a big challenge operationally: if everyone drives to Ostend Airport now, all trucks will still have to return to the port to unload their cargo afterwards."
And after that, they will still have to get away again. "This will have consequences for days, or even weeks, to come," De Smet added.
