The Port of Antwerp is the second largest port in Europe in terms of freight volumes. Located on the right bank of the river Scheldt, about 88km south-east of the North Sea, the port is a major gateway to Europe. It is owned and operated by the Antwerp Port Authority.

Being one of the biggest ports in the world, employing some 1,650 people and about 150,000 in total. It covers an area measuring about 29,820 acres or about 20,000 football fields. The top ten chemical producers in the world are present in Antwerp with four refineries (Total, ExxonMobil, Gunvor Petroleum Antwerp, and ATPC Bitumen) located in the Port itself. The recent construction of the biggest ethylene terminal in Europe by Ineos Oxide also confirms the area as a hub for chemical feedstocks.

As the largest integrated (petro) chemical cluster in Europe, the Port of Antwerp is committed to ensuring the on-going health & safety of their employees working in the area. As a result, the port authority is now one of the largest users of Cub personal volatile organic compound (VOC) monitors from gas detection instrumentation specialist, ION Science.

A Spokesman, For the Port of Antwerp:
“Every employee of the Port Authority working in the port area now wears a Cub personal PID that will give an early warning of the presence of hazardous vapours or gases. Initially approached by ION Science’s distributor, Euro Index, we chose the Cub for its small and unobtrusive design. Plus, it seemed to be the only instrument on the market that was compact enough to be worn comfortably as a personal safety device.”