Port of Antwerp-Bruges has gone live with its Inbound Release Platform (IRP), designed to help users comply with new European Customs rules for inbound cargo. Following an extensive testing phase with terminals, shipping agents and logistics providers, IRP will now be rolled out across most cargo segments in the coming weeks, including container, ro-ro, ferry and breakbulk.
Launched in partnership with NxtPort and The Way Forward, the port said the IRP is a digital link between Customs and shipping agents, terminal operators, declarants and logistics service providers in the mandatory transition of the new European Customs framework for registering and controlling incoming goods (PN/TS). IRP has been designed to streamline and automate the exchange of data for Customs declarations, shipping company information and terminal release, enabling all parties to collaborate in a uniform and secure manner.
PN/TS will replace the current PLDA Customs system on January 31, 2026 at the latest.
IRP has been active in all Belgian seaports since April 2025. 11 terminals in Zeebrugge, Ghent and Antwerp are now fully operational, with 219,000 unloading messages processed through the platform in October. 13 shipping agents have also begun operating through IRP and PN/TS, processing 6,351 Temporary Storage Declarations (TSDs) via the platform in October.
The port said that from December 1 various companies in Belgian seaports will switch definitively to IRP. The most significant step remaining in the transition now involves logistics players in the hinterland.
