“Hello, I am APICA, your virtual assistant.

Welcome to the port of Antwerp-Bruges. It will be a sunny day, with a light breeze from the north-west. There are currently 221 inland navigation craft and 180 ocean-going vessels. 95 new ships will be docking today, with 73 ships departing.

At 8.51am, iNose detected 22 potentially harmful substances in the air. The chemical tanker My Fair Lady may be the cause. It is currently sailing near Bevrijdingsdok. Would you like to collect an air sample? Select an available drone. Anticipated arrival: 1 minute and 23 seconds.”

The Digital Twin is a real-time visualisation of what is happening in the port area. Using different data sources to do so, it makes working at Port of Antwerp-Bruges safer and more efficient. The prestigious project has been operational since early 2022 and will only gain more possibilities as more data and applications are added.

How it all started

One of the initial VR prototypes and basis for further development
Second iteration – back to flatscreen and lot’s more data

More about APICA

  • Antwerp Port Experience
    Exploring the Port of Antwerp with Virtual Guides Both the Port House and the MAS Haven Pavilion proudly display impressive satellite images of the Port of Antwerp. Thanks … Read more
  • Port of the Future
    Were you one of the 15,000 visitors who explored the Port of Antwerp dome during SuperNova? If so, you were treated to a unique sneak preview of the … Read more
  • Digital Twin – Boekenbeurs
    The Port of Antwerp does not take its role as a partner of the Book Fair lightly. At its booth, it presents a public version of the Digital … Read more
  • APICA
    APICA is short for “Antwerp Port Information & Control Assistant” and takes you 10 years into the future of a world-leading port.  It envisions a time where the … Read more
  • APICA FUTURE CONCEPT BOOK
    Take a closer look at how we believe the port will one day evolve into a Living Digital Entity.
  • APICA – Digital Twin
    “Hello, I am APICA, your virtual assistant. Welcome to the port of Antwerp-Bruges. It will be a sunny day, with a light breeze from the north-west. There are … Read more
  • APICA wins ICT/Digital Project of the Year 2022
    Very proud to announce that APICA won the ICT/Digital Project of the Year 2022 Award (Link in Dutch)
  • MetaPort VR
    The primary aim of this project was to explore and understand the capabilities of the metaverse in facilitating virtual tours within the Port of Antwerpen Bruges. Central to … Read more