The city of Antwerp is one of the major ports of Belgium so with the comming of a new energy-source called "petroleum" they where eager to
build their own unloading site. Industrial sites rose like blooming flowers and a huge public pipe-rack was installed to connect
the unloading dock with the treatment-sites. Petroleum became the booming future. but...
We are talking 1900 here...
Soon the plan backfired as the hazards of oil became eminent. The site was to close to the ever expanding city! Then came the rise of a new transportation device called "the car".
Before, petroleum was used only to warm your home, but now...
It became clear that the now rather small "petroleumkaai" (petrolquay) didn't had that bright future it's designers had in mind. Investments didn't came and the sites
fell at the law of modern economy, -standstill is moving backwards-.
30 km from the site a new harbor and new docks where excavated and with it a new type of infrastructure was installed. The refinery...
Only a small number of activity's remained at the "petroleumkaai". Botteling of mineral oil, distilling of bitumen and suplying of fuel and coal for heating.
Soon even those seased.
Missil, specialised in the last, was one of the companies connected to the "petroleumkaai" piperack. While exploring in the week-end, at weekdays the sanitisation of the site continues so
by the time you read this, all that reamins of Missil is a sandy desert.
A toast to Missil and it's future that didn't came!
