Freight News, Sea


US springs a surprise for Antwerp-Bruges

[ January 27, 2026   //   ]

The US emerged as the Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ surprise largest trade partner in 2025, accounting for 31.3 million tonnes of throughput, supported by higher LNG imports.

In a year marked by geopolitical tensions and economic uncertaintyalong with prolonged congestion at container terminals and an unprecedented level of industrial action, The Belgian gateway’s overall traffic fluctuated strongly throughout the year, partly due to anticipation of import duties and a decline from the second quarter onwards. Higher US tariffs had a dampening effect on exports of iron, steel and cars, among others.

However, container imports from China increased by 3.8%, further widening the imbalance in container flows with the Far East. China was already the main country of origin for containers and became the leading origin for cars in 2025.

In Zeebrugge, the European ban on transshipment of Russian LNG to non-EU destinations hit energy volumes. However, expanding LNG production capacity in the US and Middle East may support future growth.

Between January and July, disrupted sailing schedules, rerouted cargo, and the simultaneous phasing out of previous container alliances and start-up of new alliances added extra pressure to container traffic. Additionally, around 25 days of industrial action disrupted all cargo segments, resulting in an estimated total loss of 2.4 million tonnes, equivalent to about 1% of annual throughput.

The port ended 2025 with total maritime throughput of 266.5 million tonnes, a 4.1% decline compared with 2024.

Container throughput remained almost stable, with slight growth of 0.4% in tonnage and 0.7% in TEU. Market share in the Hamburg–Le Havre Range fell by 1.2 percentage points to 29.3% in the first nine months, partly as a result of congestion. The port says this confirms the urgency of projects such as Extra Container Capacity Antwerp (ECA).

Conventional general cargo ended the year with a 1.6% increase, supported by strong volumes in the fourth quarter.

It adds that 2026 will be an important year for major infrastructure projects for which the Flemish Government confirmed investments in 2025, including the ECA and the New Zeebrugge Lock.

Tags: