COVID-19 Updates - Belgium

We would like to offer you our latest update on the outbreak of COVID-19 and any impact to Maersk’s operations in Belgium.

Maersk leadership teams, as well as management in all other areas where cases of COVID-19 have been identified, are closely monitoring the situation as part of our strong commitment to ensure the safety of our employees whilst working towards mitigating any possible impact to our customers’ operations.

Please bookmark this advisory page where you will always find the latest update for Belgium!

25th November 2020:

General Status

Unfortunately the number of COVID-19  affected people in Belgium is on the rise. This calls for reinforced measures by the Belgian government.

In Maersk we value social responsibility and the safety for both employees and customers very much, so we will fully cooperate with the guidelines set to try and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As already proven we have the technical capabilities to fully work from home, so for Maersk Line Belgium that is what we are going to do with immediate effect. As a customer you should not feel too much impact.

Our Customer Service team remains ready to respond to your questions via the usual channels and you can reach your Sales contact by mail, mobile phones.

Can we only ask for your help and use as much as possible our Web BL printing solution or Sea waybills? If that is not an option then please contact Customer Service and we will work with you to find an acceptable solution.

In order to make it easier for you to manage any situations remotely, we would like to summarize the below recommendations

Export

In case you require Maersk original paper or printing BLs from our offices

• If possible, move to handling shipments via waybills.
• In case you do require original bills of lading, Maersk will be happy to assist with an “electronic release” / “Telex release” of bills of lading – where we will keep the original bills of lading with Maersk and allow release of cargo to the consignee / nominated party on your request alone. Alternatively, it can also be printed out at destination to the Customer designated by you.
• In case there is no other means than to have an original B/L printed in Antwerp please contact our staff and they will guide you to the best solution.

Import

Due to the current developments our Antwerp office is no longer open for Original BL reception. In the event of alterations, we would inform you via our Maersk website and also about alternative ways for remote cargo release. We strongly recommend you ask your Agents or Shipper at origin to issue BLs in Sea Way Bill mode or perform Telex release in your favor to minimize document exchanges.

Our staff will be guiding you in the options available to you in your situation. In the event that you have no other option than to hand-over the original B/L to our Antwerp office, you can send it by one of the following couriers On time, DHL or TNT, no other couriers or personal deliveries will be accepted. The selected courier companies will also consolidate the shipments to limit their visit to our office, resulting in one document drop-off in the morning and one document pick-up in the afternoon

Other mail

Other mail _no B/Ls or documents of value_ which is delivered to our letter box at our office will be picked up daily and processed as soon as possible but we do expect some delay.
Please discuss with the recipient of your mail or parcel for delivery on an alternative delivery location if needed.

Other online solutions

In addition to the documentation alternatives, we remind you that you can manage all your shipments through our web site and hereby we remind you of the most used online links

• In your Maersk Customer Site you can manage your bookings, Shipping Instructions, BL Amendments and more!
  Maersk - Portal user
• You can also find more information on how to register and navigate our web using the following virtual guide
  Maersk - Onboarding
• For checking prices and shipping with us
  Maersk - Find a price
• For Export Deadlines, Demurrage and Detention and pick up container location
  Maersk - Export
• For Import Demurrage and Detention, our online calculator and delivery location
  Maersk - Import
• For Local Contingencies (Belgium)
  Maersk - Import
• Maersk and Coronavirus
  Maersk - Covid19 

Should you have any concern and/or queries, please feel free to contact your Maersk Local Representative, we will be happy to assist you.

Keep your business moving during the COVID-19 situation

We have outlined solutions which might help during this uncertain time. We are developing alternative services across the logistic chain where possible and our customer service teams are able to provide more context.

Learn more about how we keep your business moving