Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Dutchman Cas König becomes North Sea Port CEO in Ghent in June 2025, replacing Daan Schalck. ArcelorMittal (€1.1B green plan delayed), EU trade issues, UK as top partner. König must balance sustainability and trade.
Dutchman Cas König, the current CEO of Groningen Seaports, will become the new CEO of North Sea Port in Ghent in June 2025. He replaces Daan Schalck, who left last year. König has a lot of experience in managing ports and making them more sustainable. He worked on big industrial and renewable energy projects in the Netherlands, like offshore wind farms.
According to König, he will work with big companies like ArcelorMittal in Ghent. ArcelorMittal is one of Belgium’s biggest polluters. It wanted to spend €1.1 billion to make its steel production cleaner.
It planned to build a new plant and use electric furnaces. This would have helped them cut down on emissions. He mentioned that their plans are in trouble because energy is getting more expensive, cheap steel is coming from other countries, and they are not sure if they will get money from Europe.
How will North Sea Port in Ghent handle ArcelorMittal’s €1.1B delay?
According to ArcelorMittal, they believe that the European Union is not sufficiently supportive, notably in terms of green hydrogen production. They are also afraid that the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) will not protect businesses from international competition.
Cas König, the new CEO of North Sea Port, has experience with making ports more sustainable. He will need to work with companies, governments, and investors to keep North Sea Port’s plans on track.
North Sea Port is a large and significant business and shipping location in Western Europe. It’s situated in the Netherlands and Belgium. It contains around 550 businesses that hire many workers. North Sea Port also has excellent transport links, such as boats, trains, and trucks. In 2024, the UK became North Sea Port’s biggest trading partner.
