Antwerp port raises alarm over drone attack threat

Jacques Vandermeiren, head of the Port of Antwerp, Europe’s second-busiest port, has expressed concern that the facility could become an easy target for drone attacks amid rising threats from Russia.

Vandermeiren told in an interview that unidentified drones were spotted over the port in November, exposing its vulnerability, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“When you want to create chaos, you attack a country’s economic engine. Here, unfortunately, that is the port. We are very vulnerable, which is worrying,” he said.

In November, Europe’s second-busiest cargo port was shaken when unidentified drones were sighted overhead. Similar drone activity at other sensitive sites across Belgium heightened national concern.

While no official blame was assigned, attention turned to Moscow, with the Kremlin accused of conducting a “hybrid war” aimed at destabilising Europe amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The Port of Antwerp in Belgium spans 12,000 hectares and serves as a key entry point for goods and potential military reinforcements into Europe. Local authorities have previously called for strengthened air defence, but recent drone flights, including over a nearby nuclear power plant, highlighted gaps in the system.

“We saw the drones, but our radar systems did not detect them because of the technology used,” Vandermeiren noted.

New mobile radars are expected to be deployed soon, but full air defence upgrades will take time. The number of drone incidents in Europe has increased sharply in recent weeks.

On November 10, three drones were recorded over Belgium’s Doel nuclear power plant, and earlier flights had caused temporary closures of airports in Liège and Brussels.

The UK, France, and Germany will provide personnel and equipment to help Belgium protect critical infrastructure.

By Jeyhun Aghazada