Port of Antwerp-Bruges will launch its first commercial autonomous truck operation this autumn, moving containers day and night between the Group-GTS depot in Kallo on the Left Bank and container terminals on the Right Bank. The vehicle, fitted with autonomous technology from Shanghai-linked Inceptio Technology, marks the shift from demonstration to paid logistics work at Europe's second-largest container port.

The announcement anchors the second Autonomous Summit, part of Port of the Future Week running 15–17 September in Antwerp and Rotterdam. The 2025 edition proved what the technology could do — including the first fully autonomous heavy goods vehicle on public roads in a Belgian port area. This year the emphasis is implementation, and the port says the next phase will extend the truck pilot towards North Sea Port and Rotterdam.

The demonstrations on show reflect how broad the ecosystem has become. OTIV will run a remote-controlled train. Seafar will show a remotely controlled inland navigation vessel. Zelostech, DAF and Volvo will all present autonomous trucks.

One demo carries particular weight for regulators and operators alike: Zelostech will display a fully autonomous logistics vehicle authorised to operate on Belgian public roads with no space for a driver or safety driver — a European first. The vehicle will run for one year on a route crossing the city, the wider region and the port. Visitors can also ride a PIX Moving autonomous shuttle or see Tesla's Full Self-Driving system in operation.

Commercial logic, not technology theatre

For shippers and logistics providers, the interest is straightforward. Autonomous applications promise more efficient, safer and more sustainable logistics flows, open the door to night-time operations when port roads are quieter, and address a structural driver shortage that continues to squeeze road haulage capacity across Europe.

Ports make ideal proving grounds: high traffic volumes, regular and predictable transport flows, and a relatively controlled environment. Port of Antwerp-Bruges is positioning itself as the place where those conditions convert into scaled, commercial deployment rather than pilot projects that never leave the test track. The port authority is convening partners, backing concrete applications and helping shape a workable regulatory framework.

Federal Minister for Mobility, Climate and Ecological Transition Jean-Luc Crucke framed the opportunity and the constraint in one breath: "Autonomous mobility offers major opportunities for our ports and logistics chains, including by making transport flows safer, more efficient and more sustainable. But its rollout must be safe, responsible and supported by a clear legal framework."

Crucke said Belgium is working with neighbouring countries through a Benelux initiative on a harmonised legal framework, aiming to position Belgium among the pioneers of autonomous mobility.

Flemish Minister for Mobility, Public Works, Ports and Sport Annick De Ridder said Flanders has chosen to enable innovation safely rather than slow it down, with clear rules and test environments. On Tesla Full Self-Driving, Flanders is drawing on the experience of the Dutch RDW road transport agency, and earlier this year expanded the testing framework for innovative navigation on the water.

Capacity pressure behind the push

Johan Klaps, Antwerp port alderman and chairman of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, connected the automation drive directly to the port's capacity agenda. "New container capacity requires not only additional infrastructure, but also smarter ways of making the most of that infrastructure," he said. "With autonomous technology, we are building both more efficient logistics and a strong international PortTech ecosystem."

Klaps added that the combination of port, industry, logistics and knowledge institutions in Antwerp allows innovations to develop faster into concrete applications, investments and new business activity.

The timing matters for forwarders and carriers planning drayage capacity around Antwerp. If the Inceptio-equipped truck proves it can run sustained container transfers across the Scheldt corridor around the clock — and the pilot then scales to North Sea Port and Rotterdam — autonomous drayage moves from conference demo to procurement conversation within a single planning cycle. The one-year permission for Zelostech's driverless vehicle on public roads will provide the first sustained real-world data point in Belgium for how such operations perform outside controlled conditions.