Belgium is currently experiencing a wave of nationwide strikes, which have severely disrupted port operations and the transportation system.

The action began on March 9, initially launched by the railway sector, and was originally planned to last only three days. However, it quickly escalated, with joint action by maritime and railway unions bringing the country’s shipping activities to a virtual standstill.

The unions have declared March 12 a national strike day. The core conflict stems from the fiscal austerity measures proposed by Belgium’s coalition government, particularly the pension reform plan. The unions point out that the plan could result in pension cuts of up to 25% for certain groups.

On Monday evening, staff at the Zeebrugge Port Traffic Control Center joined the strike and initiated a nighttime work stoppage. Pilots, who had originally been scheduled to take a “break” from early Tuesday morning until 10 a.m., officially began their strike at 10 a.m.

Port operations, which were scheduled to resume on Tuesday, did not restart. The Zeebrugge Traffic Control Center extended the work stoppage to 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday, while the pilots’ strike directly brought port operations to a standstill.

According to European shipping media reports, the number of vessels waiting to enter or leave port has surged: on Tuesday morning, there were 26 ships waiting offshore, and by that evening, the number had soared to 46.

At the Port of Antwerp, 18 ships were unable to depart; five ships remained stranded in the Port of Zeebrugge. In addition, 33 incoming vessels are waiting to berth off the coast of Antwerp, while another 18 are waiting to enter the Port of Zeebrugge, including liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers.

Due to the strike, four port calls have already been canceled.