Economic Volatility Affects Port of Antwerp-Bruges Throughput

The dry bulk segment fell by 14.6%. Throughput of fertilizers, the largest product group within dry bulk, decreased by 24.2% after nine months, but has shown an upward trend since the summer which is expected to continue in the last quarter.

Compared to the peak in 2022, coal throughput is now showing a decline (-36%). In contrast, throughput of sand and gravel grew by 7.4%, while volumes of iron ore, scrap and non-ferrous ores fell by 70%, 5% and 2%, respectively.

The liquid bulk segment saw a decline of 2.9%. Throughput of liquid fuels grew by 8.7% thanks to a strong growth of 42.7% in throughput of diesel compared to throughput of gasoline (-3.7%) and naphtha (-22.7%). Throughput of LNG (-6.7%) is also down. Although chemical exports are up 5.4%, a drop in imports (-18.3%) led to a decrease of total chemicals’ throughput by 11.5%. ​ The competitiveness of the chemical sector in Europe is under pressure due to high energy, raw materials and labour costs combined with low global demand.

Roll-on/roll-off traffic remains unchanged (0.9%). Throughput of transport equipment grew by 8.9% thanks to growth in the throughput of new cars (+12.6%) to 2.67 million units. In addition to transport equipment, 7 million tons of unaccompanied cargo (excluding containers) was shipped on RoRo vessels (-1.4%). The portion of this cargo related to Ireland grew by 18.5%, while traffic to and from the UK fell (-3.8%).

In the first 9 months of 2023, Zeebrugge welcomed 133 cruise ships and 351,000 passengers. With these figures, it promises to be a record year, as the autumn and winter months are traditionally busier cruise months than the summer season.

In the first nine months, 15,316 seagoing vessels called at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, which is a decrease by 3.5%. The total gross tonnage of these vessels grew by 4.4% to 496.3 million GT.

On an annual basis, seagoing and inland vessels make over 300,000 movements in the port. These are ships arriving, departing, and moving within the port, or just passing through. Thanks to an extensive network of radars and cameras, Port of Antwerp-Bruges can continuously monitor these ship movements, thereby closely monitoring shipping and controlling the waterways and berths efficiently and safely.

Future-proof world port on the path to climate neutrality

To ensure Port of Antwerp-Bruges maintains its position as a world port, it must be possible for even the very largest container ships to continue calling at the port in the future. That means the draught upon arrival needs to be 16 metres. In October, the MSC Tessa broke a draught record at Deurganck Dock. The increase in the draught considerably increases the loading capacity of the ships.

The port is also taking the lead with an ambitious climate plan, with the aim of being climate neutral by 2050. In addition to greening its own fleet, Port of Antwerp-Bruges is working with companies in the sector on a wide range of solutions and projects which are crucial in achieving climate neutrality, such as hydrogen imports and CCUS (Carbon Capture, Usage & Storage), or ​ CO₂ capture and transport, for which the Fluxys C-Grid joint venture was launched in September.

Jacques Vandermeiren, CEO Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “The continued economic and geopolitical concerns have been visible in the figures for several quarters now. The competitiveness of European industry is under pressure due to high energy, raw materials and labour costs combined with low global demand. The indicators do not yet show any improvement for the near future, and container throughput will still be impacted in the 4th quarter by cancelled voyages from the Far East. Despite the fact that our throughput is falling less than the average in the Hamburg-Le Havre range and we are gaining market share, we will have to face the fact that 2023 will not be a top year.”

Annick De Ridder, Vice-Mayor of the City of Antwerp and President of the board of directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “Our port is the economic engine of Flanders. That engine has held up well despite a difficult economic climate thanks to the entire port community who always gives its best. As a result, Port of Antwerp-Bruges’ market share rose even in the Hamburg – Le Havre Range. The recently broken depth record is important for future growth and proves that, as the first port of call, we are accessible to the very largest vessels in circulation.”

Dirk De fauw, Mayor of the city of Bruges and Vice President of Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “The economy, and by extension ports, are confronted with disappointing results around the world. But I am confident that the two complementary platforms will allow us to demonstrate our resilience and continue to reinforce our strong position in the international logistics chain. But a future-proof global port goes beyond traditional cargo handling. That’s why we are playing a leading role in the transition to a circular economy, both within our own organisation, on the port platform and beyond, through an ambitious climate plan to be climate neutral by 2050.”