BRUSSELS, Feb 26 (Reuters) – Belgium will install an air‑defence system at the Port of Antwerp, Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen reported on Thursday, citing Prime Minister Bart De Wever.
Belgium last year faced multiple drone sightings that forced the temporary closure of airports and a military airbase. Drones were also spotted over the port of Antwerp, including above the nuclear power plants, its BASF chemical site and the Europa terminal.
“An air-defence system is coming to the port of Antwerp. It’s a Nasams type and has already been ordered,” De Wever said at a yearly Community Meet‑Up of the port of Antwerp‑Bruges, according to the newspaper. It added that the defence ministry specified that the first battery of the air‑defence system is expected to arrive in 2027.
The system is designed to protect against fighter jets, drones or other short-range threats.
The Port of Antwerp‑Bruges and the Belgian government did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; editing by Barbara Lewis)