File photo shows containers in the harbour of Antwerp (Photo by Eric Piermont/ AFP)
Brussels, Belgium: An oil spill during a ship refueling operation has halted most traffic in Belgium’s port of Antwerp, Europe’s second-busiest for cargo shipping, the port said Friday.
“Although the source has been stopped and the directly involved seagoing vessels have been contained for active clean-up operations, the pollution spread further towards the Scheldt (river) overnight,” Antwerp port said in a statement.
The river is “currently fully closed to traffic” in the section near the dock concerned, with a port spokesman telling AFP traffic was disrupted “certainly for today, possibly for several days.”