Major shifts occurred in the type of traffic at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges that has just posted last year’s results. The port processed 286 million tons of goods. That’s only a slight decrease of 0.7% in comparison with the previous year, but container traffic was down 8.6%. This is compensated by a 13% increase in dry bulk traffic, mainly coal and fertilizers. “We stood our ground” says Antwerp alderwoman for the port Annick De Ridder.
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Antwerp-Bruges port meets challenges in 2022, sees further ambitions
Colin Clapson
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The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge merged last April. This is the first time combined results are published. “From the start we were strong believers in the merger” says De Ridder. “Now you see Flanders and the rest of the world also acknowledge the added value. There’s a shortage of space in Antwerp and we need extra capacity. This we can find in Zeebrugge”.
Last year challenges piled up. Problems with supply chains caused by the pandemic were not completely sorted. Russia further invaded Ukraine triggering an energy crisis. Despite these challenges the volume of goods processed only fell slightly and that the port authorities believe is a sound result.
Liquid bulk volumes processed rose by 10% as LNG became a popular alternative for Russian gas.
The merger means the port has become Europe’s biggest export port, but challenges remain: port activities must be made more environmentally-friendly and more sustainable.