The Port of Antwerp-Bruges's total throughput reached 143.2 million tonnes in the first six months of this year, an increase of 3% compared to the same period last year.

The port said this upward trend, which started in the first quarter, was driven by increased demand for container transport and is now extending to other product categories as well.

"This is despite ongoing geopolitical tensions and an uncertain macroeconomic climate," Port of Antwerp-Bruges said in a statement announcing its first-half performance. 

In the first quarter, it noted that container throughput recovered following a global slowdown due to economic uncertainty and inflation.

This growth continued in the second quarter. ​

In the meantime, the Port said that sailing around the Cape of Good Hope has become the 'new normal'.

"This ensured a rise in total container throughput of 6.8% in tonnes and 4.1% in TEUs (6,665,000 TEUs) compared to the first half of 2023," it added.

Throughput volumes of conventional breakbulk also showed an upward trend.

Port of Antwerp-Bruges said this started in the first quarter, following a weak final quarter of 2023.

It added that despite throughput in the first half of the year being 6.2% lower than the same period last year — due to a 12.6% decrease in imports and a 4.5% increase in exports, throughput improved in the second quarter compared to the first quarter.

It added that in the past six months, the throughput of iron and steel has remained more or less stable (up 0.6%), with a growth in exports (up 7.4%) and a drop in imports (up 3.7%).

This contrasts with the first quarter, which experienced a growth in imports and a decline in exports.

The Port added that although most other goods continued to show a decline compared to the same period last year, the throughput of these products increased compared to the first quarter.

"The past half year has certainly not been without ​ challenges. But despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions, a still ​ fragile economic climate and farmers' protests, we are continuing with positive figures once more, showing even stronger growth in the first quarter," said Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, adding that alongside container throughput, other product groups are also experiencing a positive trend.

"Moreover, despite these challenges, we remain committed to advancing our pioneering role in the energy transition, including initiatives such as ​ shore power projects and ​ truck charging infrastructure. This indicates that we are progressing towards ​ making 2024 a year of significant achievements across all areas, driven by our ongoing resilience and the collective efforts of the entire port community," he added.

Dirk De Fauw, mayor of the City of Bruges and deputy chair of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, noted that "these positive figures show once again how strong we are  with two complementary port platforms."

"But in order to maintain our role as a world port and a key gateway to and from Europe, capacity and ​ sustainable growth are needed. Establishing the initial draft project decision for the New Lock at Zeebrugge was a major milestone, as was the further development of the Southern Channel Basin at Zeebrugge with the expansion of ICO's RoRo terminal," he added.