Antwerp-Bruges container volumes stage strong recovery

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges has recorded a strong recovery in container throughput, according to a report carried by Fruitnet, marking a turnaround for the Belgian gateway after a period of softer cargo movements.

The recovery matters well beyond Belgium. Antwerp-Bruges ranks among Europe's biggest container ports and serves as the primary maritime gateway for perishables, reefer cargo and containerised fruit flows into Northwest Europe. When its box volumes swing, freight rates, inland capacity and reefer equipment availability across the Rhine-Scheldt delta tend to follow.

For shippers — particularly fruit and perishables importers moving cargo through Antwerp's reefer terminals — firmer throughput signals normalising cargo flows and steadier terminal dwell times. For carriers, it points to recovering demand on Asia–North Europe and South America–Europe services that call at the port. For forwarders, it means more predictable slot availability after a stretch when weak volumes forced schedule adjustments.

What does the recovery signal for European trade?

A throughput rebound at Antwerp-Bruges fits the broader pattern of European container trade stabilising after the demand slump and inventory correction that weighed on North European ports through 2023 and much of 2024.

Antwerp-Bruges was formed in 2022 from the merger of the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge, creating a combined complex that handles Europe's largest concentration of breakbulk, ro-ro and reefer capacity. Its container statistics are therefore a reliable bellwether for continental cargo health, especially in perishables trades where the port dominates.

The recovery also carries weight for supply chains serving supermarkets and fresh-produce distributors. Fruitnet, which broke the story, covers the perishables trade in detail; its attention to the port's container numbers underscores how central Antwerp-Bruges is to fruit import flows from Latin America, South Africa and Mediterranean suppliers.

Who benefits from firmer box volumes?

The commercial read-through splits three ways:

• Shippers face a more stable booking environment, with terminal congestion risk reduced as volumes return in an orderly fashion rather than in a disruptive surge.
• Carriers recover cargo density on North European loops, which supports vessel utilisation and, over time, rate discipline on trade lanes calling at Antwerp.
• Forwarders and inland operators see steadier demand for barge and rail slots to the Dutch and German hinterlands, capacity that idled when volumes were thin.

Fruitnet's report did not attach specific tonnage or TEU figures to the recovery, and the port has yet to publish a detailed breakdown by trade lane in the material carried so far. The absence of hard numbers means shippers should treat the direction of travel — recovery — as confirmed, while awaiting the granular data that will show which trades are driving the rebound.

What happens next?

Watch the port's next official throughput release for the TEU figures behind the recovery and for detail on reefer and perishables flows specifically. If the rebound holds through the coming quarters, Antwerp-Bruges will likely consolidate its position as the reference port for European containerised fresh trade, with knock-on effects for slot allocation and equipment positioning on the South America and Africa services that feed it.