Inland shipping companies Amer Shipping BV and Van de Graaf & Meeusen BV have created an independent Belgian chartering office: TriBarge. It will offer a broad range of inland shipping solutions based on its own assets. The first newbuild vessel, the Porta Sud (85 metres), is on order.
By starting a new company with its own fleet, the two family businesses want to show that this is not a temporary collaboration, but a long-term commitment.
Also read: Amer Shipping orders two more vessels from Concordia Damen
From ARA region to the Black Sea
TriBarge handles the chartering of inland vessels in the ARA region, the German canals, the Moselle and up to Basel. Through its partnership with Stream Shipping, a joint venture between MSGeG and Amer Shipping, the new company can serve locations as far as the Black Sea. In this way, TriBarge brings shippers and fleet management together.
‘By joining forces, we can offer customers a broader range as well as more continuity and capacity on all European inland waterways. The personal approach is already embedded in the partners’ way of working, and we are bringing it with us to TriBarge,’ says Sander Meeusen, Director at Van De Graaf & Meeusen.
Own fleet
TriBarge’s partners are investing in a modern inland shipping fleet to strengthen their position in the European dry cargo market. The first vessel, the 85-metre Porta Sud, is under construction at Concordia Damen and is expected to enter service in the second half of 2027.
With around sixty per cent of the European dry cargo fleet dating from the 1960s or earlier, the partners see opportunities to renew capacity and build closer cooperation between charterers, shippers and carriers. Designed to access not only major rivers but also smaller ports, tributaries and canals, the Porta Sud will form the foundation of the joint fleet.
Also read: Amer Shipping orders CDS 110 from Concordia Damen
Antwerp as a central hub
With the establishment of TriBarge, a new link is created within the European waterway network, with Antwerp as its central hub. From the Tweede Havendok, close to the well-known Moordtgat, TriBarge forms a bridge between Northern and Southern European waterways.
Kai Winkelman, Supply Chain Manager, Amer Shipping: ‘As family businesses, we think in generations, not in quarters. With TriBarge and the Porta Sud, we are making a deliberate choice for long-term growth within the European waterway network. Think of Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and other destinations.’
Picture: Artist impression of TriBarge’s first vessel, Porta Sud (image TriBarge).
