A hydrofluoric acid leak aboard a container ship has compounded existing pressures at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, sending 155 workers to the hospital and forcing two major terminals to shut down. The incident, which occurred Tuesday night, is the latest in a series of disruptions that have snarled cargo flow at Europe's second-busiest port, where vessel waiting times already stretched beyond two days. Main Developments A damaged container of hydrofluoric acid began leaking aboard the Mediterranean Shipping Company vessel MSC Mia Summer II at the port's Deurganck Dock. Emergency services evacuated the ship and surrounding quay, conducting air quality measurements before cordoning off the area. Shipping traffic was suspended at DP World's Antwerp Gateway and MSC-PSA European Terminal (MPET). Authorities also closed bridges near the Kieldrecht Lock, one of two locks providing vessel access from the Scheldt River. As of Wednesday afternoon, DP World Antwerp Gateway had reopened, but MPET remained closed. Read also: Nike Air Force 1 'Game Day' Mirrors a Bootleg Classic Of the 155 people taken to hospitals in the Beveren-Kruibeke-Zwijndrecht area, most were discharged. Twenty-eight individuals with more serious symptoms remained under observation Wednesday morning, with one person in intensive care. Mayor Marc Van de Vijver confirmed no local residents were affected by the fumes. Belgium's federal prosecutor's office launched a criminal investigation Wednesday. The office stated the leak occurred during container loading and unloading operations, though the exact cause remains undetermined. Specialist teams are on standby to remove the damaged container from the vessel. Background This is the second chemical incident at the Belgian port in recent months. In April, an oil spill occurred when the MSC Denmark VI vessel attempted to refuel, blocking the access route from the port to the North Sea and forcing the temporary closure of the Deurganck Dock and MPET. Antwerp-Bruges handles 13.6 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, making it the second-busiest port in Europe behind Rotterdam. Its tonnage exceeds that of the Port of Los Angeles, which moved roughly 10.2 million TEUs last year. The port's congestion has ripple effects across western European supply chains. Labor disputes have added to the strain. Belgian maritime harbor pilots went on strike in early June over a longstanding dispute with lawmakers concerning federal pension reforms. The pilots, who assist captains in guiding cargo ships into the port, have conducted various labor actions since last fall. Those strikes made berthing more difficult and created operational challenges even after they ended, including irregular peaks in container volumes and longer vessel queues. Kuehne + Nagel reported Monday that the seven-day average vessel waiting time at Antwerp was 2.02 days. The logistics firm noted in a Tuesday update that "vessel backlogs continue to affect the lineup and are expected to persist through this week." Labor availability has been further reduced by the start of the school holiday period, and yard density remains at a critical level. Why It Matters The closure of two key terminals at Europe's second-largest container gateway threatens to deepen cargo backlogs that were already building before the chemical leak. With the port handling millions of TEUs annually, even brief disruptions can cascade through supply chains serving manufacturers, retailers, and consumers across the continent. The timing is particularly problematic. Belgium's annual construction holiday period from July 13 to 31 will further reduce staff availability across all terminals. This compounds the effects of recent pilot strikes and the lingering congestion from the April oil spill, creating a perfect storm of reduced capacity at a critical European logistics hub. Meanwhile, other major global ports are also facing disruptions. Typhoon Bavi recently forced the temporary closure of container handling operations at China's ports of Shanghai and Ningbo, with more than 2 million TEUs of vessel capacity waiting at berth in north Asian waters. The backlog from that storm is expected to take "several weeks" to clear, according to container shipping market research firm Linerlytica. What's Next Specialist teams are poised to remove the leaking container from the MSC Mia Summer II once conditions allow safe access. The MPET terminal will remain closed until authorities confirm the area is secure and air quality returns to safe levels. The federal prosecutor's criminal investigation will seek to determine how the container was damaged during loading and unloading operations. Results could lead to new safety protocols or regulatory changes for handling hazardous materials at the port. Kuehne + Nagel expects vessel backlogs to persist through at least this week, with reduced labor availability during the school holiday and construction holiday periods adding to the pressure.