The start-up business Advanced Plastic Purification International (APPI) is to be located in the Port Oostende. The waste processor aims to be operational by 2026, receiving and disposing of 500,000 tonnes of plastic waste per year. This will boost the port’s tonnage, with plastics accounting for a third of the total tonnage it receives.
Belgian-Dutch start-up Advanced Plastic Purification International NV (APPI) has signed an agreement for a 15-hectare concession in the port area of Oostende. This is located in the circular cluster in the Plassendale zone.
APPI plans to start operations in 2026 with an annual maritime traffic of 500,000 tonnes, a third of the port’s current total. The waste processing company will sort, clean and process discarded plastics into raw materials for new plastic applications and products. In addition, the process will be largely energy self-sufficient and CO2 neutral.
500,000 tonnes per year
Initially, APPI plans to ship in and out a total of 500,000 tonnes per year. This is a third of the 1.5 million tonnes currently handled by the entire port of Ostend. The company expects to create 110 jobs.
“The arrival of APPI fits perfectly into our strategy to accommodate sustainable maritime growth markets,” says Dirk Declerk, CEO of the Port Oostende. “The circular cluster, which is now firmly established, brings companies together in a single zone in the port area. The companies we attract share their knowledge, strengthen each other’s supply and demand and attract new players.”
The arrival of APPI underlines that Ostend offers a breeding ground for both SME’s and start-ups. This provides growth and employment perspectives, which is why we welcome APPI’s choice for Port Oostende.
Charlotte Verkeyn, President Port Oostende
The circular cluster which has taken shape over the last years, brings recyclers together in a dedicated area of the port. The companies mutually reinforce supply & demand and attract new players. The arrival of APPI in Ostend fits perfectly in our strategy to provide space to sustainable, maritime growth markets.Â
Dirk Declerck, CEO Port Oostende
Plastic back to oil
“In Oostende, we have found a pragmatic and supportive partner with a clear vision for an integrated circular cluster,” says Boudewijn van Vliet of APPI. “Such a breeding ground is essential for the success of our socially relevant and necessary project. This is based on existing, proven, efficient technologies that will be applied on a significant scale”.
Our choice for Port Oostende was in large part due to its pragmatic and supportive management. Their clear vision for an integrated circular cluster provides essential breeding ground for making APPI’s relevant and necessary project a success. We look forward to the collaboration.
Boudewijn van Vliet, MD APPI
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APPI is a start-up, but Boudewijn van Vliet has a background in international trading and commodity flow management with companies such as Cargill, Citi Group and Mercuria Energy Group. Since 2021, he has been a director of Pryme, a Dutch company listed on Euronext that develops technology for the chemical recycling of plastics. Pryme’s major shareholders include Swiss, Norwegian and US banks. The company has an R&D centre in Ghent and will open its first plant, Pryme One, in Rotterdam this year. This will convert plastic waste into petrochemical oil, for which a purchase agreement has been signed with Shell.
This post is based on the article by Roel Jacobus that first appeared on Flows News site on May 2, 2023.
Image credit: Port Oostende
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