Niels Vanlaer
Port of Antwerp Bruges and Chair, IAPH Risk and Resilience Committee
Harbour Master
Since January 2023, Captain Niels Vanlaer is Harbour Master of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
Following a career at sea and executive positions at one of the leading gas tanker shipping companies, in which he dealt with various aspects of ship management and maritime safety and security in often challenging environments, Niels became Business Continuity Manager for the Port of Antwerp-Bruges in 2019. He led a small team of experts supporting the Harbour Master division in developing risk analysis and ensuring the overall safety of the port and its users. Niels is also a PhD researcher in the field of organizational resilience of critical infrastructures. Research that blends in perfectly with his job as Harbour Master at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges.
He is a strong believer of building bridges and developing mutual understanding to come to pragmatic but well-founded solutions that ensure a safe environment to conduct operations.