Declining freight volumes were caused by the difficult global trade environment and geopolitical uncertainty. The ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge merged to establish Antwerp-Bruges in 2022, which serves as a hub for chemicals, automobiles, breakbulk, and containers. Compared to Q1 2024, the port container volumes increased by 4.5%, reaching 3.43 million TEU. In Q1 2025, it became the busiest container port in Europe, surpassing Rotterdam’s 3.36 million TEU. Import taxes, market volatility, and US trade relations are issues that both ports are worried about.
Rotterdam gains from continuous terminal refurbishment and development on the supply side, especially at Maasvlakte 2. On the other hand, Antwerp-Bruges is waiting for the long-awaited completion of the ECA project, which will eventually increase terminal capacity by almost 7 million TEU, but not before the end of the decade. The changing function of performance measurements in port governance is likewise addressed by this container volume competition. Although TEU throughput used to be the primary criterion for success, Rhine-Scheldt Delta port authorities have expanded its scope. In addition to traditional cargo volumes, sustainability, energy transition, digital innovation, and the integration of the circular economy are becoming more and more popular as key performance indicators.
Container handling is still a fundamental industry, though, and the two titans’ closing TEU disparity has long-standing historical origins. Similar changes have place in the late 1990s and for a brief period in 2008. Antwerp-Bruges has been steadily catching up to Rotterdam since the Covid-19 pandemic; this dynamic is still developing as a result of changing regional and international factors.
