Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 200.9 million tonnes of cargo in January–September 2026, down 0.8 per cent year on year.
The result came despite container throughput reaching its strongest quarterly level since the fourth quarter of 2020.
The port reported on Tuesday, October 20, that nine-month container throughput rose 1.2 per cent in twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) but fell 0.6 per cent in tonnes.
Empty containers accounted for the growth, rising 11.7 per cent in TEU, while full-container volumes fell 1.3 per cent. The port said rising imports and weaker exports had widened the imbalance between inbound and outbound flows. This increased the need to reposition empties, particularly towards Asia.
The container recovery began in August. Earlier in the year, operations were disrupted by adverse weather, industrial action in the nautical chain and an oil spill in the Deurganck Dock. In mid-July, a container holding hydrofluoric acid sustained damage, interrupting operations at the same dock.
The port said no liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from Qatar had arrived since March, and diesel supplies from the Middle East had stopped since mid-May.
Container exports to the Persian Gulf fell 70 per cent, while exports to the rest of the Middle East rose to nearly five times their previous level as lines established alternative routes.
Conventional general cargo fell 16.6 per cent on a 17.5 per cent drop in iron and steel. Dry bulk rose 13 per cent, and roll-on/roll-off traffic increased 5.5 per cent, led by new cars from China and Japan.
