The Port of Antwerp-Bruges's total cargo throughput amounted to 70.4 million tonnes in the first quarter of this year, a rise of 2.4% compared to the same period last year.

It said that in a complex geopolitical and macroeconomic context, the port's resilience is shown by the growth in container throughput.

"After economic uncertainty and inflation led to a global slowdown in demand for container shipping in 2023, container throughput picked up again from February, with March even witnessing the best monthly throughput since March 2021," the port said.

This resulted in a rise in total container throughput of 8.6% in tonnes and 6% in TEUs (3,287,000 TEUs) compared to the first quarter of 2023.

Port of Antwerp-Bruges' market share in container handling in the Hamburg - Le Havre Range also grew by 0.3 percentage points in 2023, to 29.9%.

The port noted that throughput volumes of conventional general cargo also showed an upward trend again.

Although throughput decreased by 7.8% compared to the same period last year, it grew by 6.9% compared to the last quarter of 2023. ​

Meanwhile, the throughput of iron and steel remained unchanged, with incoming flows growing (+1.4%) and outgoing flows falling (-3.8%). Most other goods recorded a decline compared to the first quarter of 2023.

Resilient and future-proof

Port of Antwerp-Zebruge said the fact that the quarterly figures show growth despite the weak economic climate is a confirmation of the hub's resilience, as the port continues to pioneer and invest, even in challenging times, to ensure that it is "future-proof."

For sustainable growth, the port must be able to accommodate the largest container vessels.

The first container vessel recently achieved the required 16-meter draught in this regard. In addition, the MSC China set a new record for the largest container volume handled on a single ship in March, with 26,201 TEUs.

The first methanol bunkering of a sea-going vessel was another milestone in Port of Antwerp-Bruges' ambition to become a multifuel port and accelerate the energy transition in the maritime sector.

Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said, "The fact that, as a world port, we are caught up in continuing challenges was once again highlighted in the last quarter. The Red Sea unrest obliged container shipping companies, for security reasons, to divert their routes via the Cape of Good Hope on East-West routes, resulting in disruptions to logistics chains and irregular arrivals of container ships."

"This meant that all parties involved had to adapt, but diverted routes soon became the 'new normal'. The fact that we can once again achieve growth despite everything proves our resilience in unpredictable times," he added.