Port of Antwerp-Bruges reported contrasting shortsea trends in the first nine months of 2026, with RoRo cargo flows to and from Ireland and Scandinavia increasing, while volumes with the United Kingdom and the Iberian Peninsula declined.
Overall RoRo throughput rose by 5.5%, driven mainly by a 9.3% increase in new cars, particularly from China and Japan.
Across all cargo segments, total port throughput fell by 0.8%. Container traffic recovered strongly in the third quarter, lifting nine-month volumes by 1.2% in TEU. However, growth came from empty containers, up 11.7%, while laden container volumes declined by 1.3%.
Dry bulk increased by 13%, whereas conventional general cargo fell by 16.6% and liquid bulk remained under pressure. The port highlights trade barriers, high energy prices and weak European industrial demand as continuing challenges.
