European ports prepare for a possible war with Russia
Atlantico: Does the logistical mobilization of European ports indicate that Western Europe is heading towards the risk of war with Russia?
Vyacheslav Aviutskii: Since 2022, this question has been posed more and more explicitly. Between 2023 and 2024, we saw the emergence of a dialogue, both between the member states of the European Union and within NATO, to prepare efficiently for war. The fact that several European ports, in particular Rotterdam, the EU's largest, and Antwerp, Belgium's second largest, have released specific logistical capacities is a step in this direction. In an improvised but strategic way, they have set up a form of specialization.
In the past, military vessels or cargo ships carrying military equipment were handled as part of traditional logistics flows, alongside commercial cargoes.
Now, part of the capacity of these ports is reserved for the military flows. It's worth remembering that during wartime, logistics is a sine qua non for maintaining a front line and supplying troops in combat.
This seems perfectly logical to me. If a war is going to start, logically it will start in the Baltic region, with Poland directly involved. In this case, the closest ports likely to remain out of reach of Russian strikes would be Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Other ports closer to this potential front line, such as those in Poland (Gdansk, for example) or Northern Germany, would probably be directly targeted by Russia in the event of war.
Viatcheslav Avioutskii--Atlantico.
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