The Port Project

2023-06-06

ANTWERPEN/ROTTERDAM - The social damage of air pollution caused by the (petro)chemical sector in the ports of Antwerp and Rotterdam runs into billions of euros. This is according to an investigation by Apache and Follow The Money based on official figures on emissions and transfer of pollutants from large industrial facilities.

For Rotterdam, the amount is between EUR 1.3 billion and EUR 3.9 billion. For Antwerp, the figure is between €1.2 billion and €3.3 billion. The figures are an underestimate of reality because not all companies are obliged to report and by no means all substances of concern are on the list.

In the coming months, Follow the Money and Apache will delve further into the emissions from the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp. In the first part of a comprehensive investigation into the environmental and climate impact of both ports, we show how damaging emissions from the chemical industry are to health.

Team members

Steven Vanden Bussche

Steven Vanden Bussche (1979) is an investigative journalist at Apache.

Tom Claessens

Tom Claessens (1993) is part of Follow the Money since 2020.

Tom Cochez

Tom Cochez is a Belgian investigative journalist.

Mira Sys

Mira Sys (1995) is working for Follow the Money for over five years now.

Esmeralda Borgo

Esmeralda Borgo is a freelance investigative journalist.

Jan Daalder

Jan Daalder (1996) has been working for Follow the Money since 2022.

Supported

LOCAL/2022/012: €4.000 allocated on 30/09/2022.
CBL/2022/016: €22.600 allocated on 26/09/2022.
LOCAL/2023/016: €9.900 allocated on 20/02/2023.

LOCAL/2022/012 & CBL/2022/016 & LOCAL/2023/016

Grant

Pascal Decroos Fund

PRINT/ONLINE

Het Havenproject, Apache.be & Follow The Money, juni 2023.
- Chemiebedrijven in de Antwerpse haven veroorzaken miljarden schade, Apache.be, 1 juni 2023.
- De ziekmakende havens van Antwerpen en Rotterdam, Apache.be, 2 juni 2023.
- Industriële uitstoot van schadelijke stoffen wordt structureel onderschat, Apache, 12 juni 2023.
- Afval in olie mengen kan Antwerps bedrijf duur te staan komen, Apache, 13 juni 2023.
- Miljardenschade door chemische uitstoot Shell en industrie in Rotterdamse haven, Follow the Money, 1 juni 2023.
- Duizenden doden, ieder jaar opnieuw: dit kost de chemische industrie in de Rotterdamse haven, Follow the Money, 2 juni 2023.
- Europese uitstootcijfers deugen niet: gevaarlijke stoffen blijven buiten beeld, hele sectoren registreren niets, Follow the Money, 12 juni 2023.
- Scheepsbedrijf mengde jarenlang chemisch afval in brandstof, Follow the Money, 13 juni 2023.
- Departement Zorg stremt bloedonderzoek naar PFAS, Apache, 05/07/2023.
- Overheid laat Vlaanderen verzuipen in industrieel afvalwater, Apache, 19 juli 2023.
- Dark PFAS, verborgen waarheid, Apache, 11 september 2023.
- Demir laat 3M en Indaver volop illegaal ultrakorte PFAS lozen, Apache, 13 september 2023.
- Zeeschepen smoren Vlaanderen in stikstof, Apache, 28 september 2023.
- Stikstof ondermijnt geplande uitbreiding van Antwerpse Haven, Apache, 4 oktober 2023.

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