The Belgian company has even contacted retired customs officers to seek advice on how shipping used to work before the European Union s single market reduced bureaucracy and opened borders.
Patrick Van Cauwenberghe, the Port of Zeebruges Trade Facilitation Director said he s uncertain companies across the continent are ready for the changes ahead. There will also be truck drivers coming here from Romania, or Italy, and they ll probably know nothing or almost nothing, they won t have the papers prepared, he said.
In Calais at the entrance to the Channel Tunnel that connects France to the United Kingdom, the prospect of delays and recurring traffic jams linked to Brexit is already testing the patience of many.
Video by Clotilde Gourlet, Picture by Kenzo Tribouillard
In the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, robot lift-trucks are working flat out to stockpile and ship Europe s biggest brands to British supermarkets before the New Year Brexit deadline heralds new trade barriers.
Driverless vehicles hoist and stack pallet after pallet of wine, water and milk at a frenzied pace, readying it for ferry transport across the channel to Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury s.
From January 1, the UK will be outside the EU single market and exporters will face a barrage of new regulations and checks that are expected to cause delays and shortages for British shoppers.