Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 202.6 million tonnes of maritime goods in the first nine months of 2025, down 3.8 per cent from last year.
General cargo, including containers and RoRo, rose 1.3 per cent, while dry and liquid bulk fell 12.8 per cent.
Container volumes slowed after August due to the phase-out of shipping alliances. Trade with the US remains affected by import tariff uncertainties.
Container throughput grew modestly by 1.1 per cent in tonnage and 1.6 per cent in TEU for the period but dropped 2.4 per cent in Q3. The end of overlapping calls in alliances eased congestion and improved hinterland traffic.
Market share in the Hamburg–Le Havre range declined 0.7 points to 29.8 per cent, mainly due to terminal capacity limits, which the Extra Container Capacity Antwerp (ECA) project aims to address.
Conventional cargo was stable, supported by steel imports despite export pressures. Liquid bulk declined 13.5 per cent, affected by weaker petroleum exports and the struggling chemical sector, while biofuels and energy gases grew.
LNG imports rose due to increased US supplies offsetting the EU ban on Russian gas. Dry bulk fell 8.9 per cent, mainly from lower fertilizer shipments. RoRo cargo grew 3.3 per cent, led by increased car imports from China.
Trade with the US grew 15 per cent, driven by containers and liquid bulk, but US tariffs cut steel exports sharply in Q3.
Imports stayed stable, with LNG and liquid bulk rising. Container imports from the US increased 8 per cent, slowing after August.
Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said: “The slight decline in our market share is largely explained by congestion in the first half of the year. Volumes were sufficient, but available terminal capacity was inadequate.
“Rearrangements within shipping alliances also had a temporary impact on the distribution of traffic between ports. We anticipate that our market share will recover as soon as additional capacity becomes available. The quarterly figures also highlight the resilience of Port of Antwerp-Bruges in a particularly volatile economic climate.”
Recently, congestion at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges had disrupted oil deliveries after a strike by harbour pilots had left nearly 190 vessels waiting to berth or depart.
