Genk (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Port of Genk is rebranding as Genk Cargo Connect to clarify its role after container operations moved to the Port of Limburg. GM Heike Ulburghs and Mayor Wim Dries highlighted growth and regional importance.
As VRT News reported, the Port of Genk is changing its name to Genk Cargo Connect to end growing confusion about its identity. They mentioned that many people mix up the company with Port of Limburg, the well-known container terminal that operates on the same site along the Albert Canal.
Why is the Port of Genk changing its name to Genk Cargo Connect?
According to officials, both firms work in the same logistics zone, but they handle different activities. Port of Limburg deals mainly with containers, while the former Port of Genk focuses on the transhipment of goods by water, road, and rail. The mix-ups have increased in recent years, so the company has decided to introduce a new name and a new logo.
“The relocation of the container unit to the new Port of Limburg has made people think we no longer exist,”
says general manager Heike Ulburghs.
“Our role as a port authority has evolved into a transhipment terminal for goods transported by water and rail. We wanted to reflect this more clearly in our logo and name,”
explains Ulburghs.
Officials mentioned that customers will notice very little change after the new name is introduced. All services and day-to-day operations will continue as they do now. The company explains that the new identity is only the start of a broader plan. Genk Cargo Connect intends to expand in the coming years.
“We will continue working as we are to further develop our business. We definitely anticipate further growth. We are still building additional storage locations,”
Ulburghs reveals
Genk mayor Wim Dries (CD&V) attended the announcement of the new name and logo. He said the port remains an important part of the city’s industrial layout. The site connects the canal, the railway, and the road network. He added that people often overlook the fact that this is the fourth-largest industrial estate in Flanders.
The S.A. du Port Charbonnier de Genck was founded on October 21, 1936, to support the coal sector in Limburg. In June 1997, the Machiels Group and ALZ acquired full ownership and changed the strategy of the terminal. In 2000, operational from April 10, the terminal opened for container handling and performed as a trimodal terminal with connections via water, road and rail.
In 2013, a connection was made with the InlandLinks network, confirming the role of the terminal in inland shipping activities. The introduction of a rail hub at the Euro Terminal in Genk, with H. Essers and Lineas in 2019, established a critical transport connectivity. The ownership structure changed again in March 2025, when Port of Limburg acquired all container activities.
