The Port of Antwerp-Bruges emerges with steady resilience, showcasing promising growth in its quarterly figures for the first quarter of 2024. Despite facing intricate geopolitical and macroeconomic challenges, the port has demonstrated a commendable rise in total cargo throughput, reaching 70.4 million tonnes, marking a notable increase of 2.4% compared to the same period last year.
Container Throughput Regains Momentum
A significant contributor to this robust performance is the resurgence in container throughput. Following a period of economic uncertainty and inflation-induced global slowdown in 2023, container throughput regained momentum from February onwards. March particularly stood out, witnessing the most remarkable monthly throughput since March 2021. The first quarter of 2024 saw a remarkable surge, with a rise of 8.6% in tonnes and 6% in TEUs (3,287,000 TEUs), compared to the corresponding period in 2023. Moreover, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges expanded its market share in container handling within the Hamburg-Le Havre Range, growing by 0.3 percentage points to reach 29.9% in 2023.
Diverse Cargo Segments
While container throughput led the charge, other cargo segments also displayed noteworthy trends. Conventional general cargo volumes exhibited an upward trajectory, growing by 6.9% compared to the last quarter of 2023, despite a slight decrease of 7.8% compared to the same period last year. Roll-on/roll-off traffic, however, experienced a dip of 6.9% in the first quarter of 2024, primarily attributed to ongoing congestion issues at RoRo terminals.
Dry Bulk and Liquid Bulk Dynamics
In the dry bulk segment, the picture was mixed, with a 12.1% decline attributed to a substantial fall in incoming flows, particularly in coal demand, which plummeted by 68.6%. Conversely, the throughput of fertilizers, non-ferrous ores, and scrap metal witnessed growth. In the liquid bulk sector, despite a slight overall decline of 0.9%, there were positive indicators with increased throughput of fuel oil, gasoline, and LNG. The chemical industry also showed resilience, with throughput of chemicals and naphtha recording growth.
Vessel Calls and Cruise Passenger Traffic
The first quarter of 2024 saw 4,855 sea-going vessels calling at the port, representing a marginal decrease of 1.8%. In parallel, Zeebrugge witnessed a slight decline in cruise passenger traffic, with 99,211 passengers on 19 cruise ships, marking a 10.7% decrease compared to the record first quarter of 2023.
