Your gateway to the European market
In recent decades, the port of Zeebrugge has been among the fastest-growing ports in the Hamburg-Le Havre range, where more than a billion tonnes of cargo are handled every year. The present structure of the port dates back only 25 years, to 1985. In the years that followed, an extensive outer port, a new sea lock with entrance to an inner port, gave Zeebrugge a major capacity impulse. As a result, the total cargo traffic tripled from 14 million tonnes in 1985 to a volume of 42 million tonnes in 2008.
The coastal port of Zeebrugge provides deep-draught access, which means that the largest shipping companies in the world have included Zeebrugge in their sailing schedule. This competitive edge has turned the port of Zeebrugge into one of the leading entry ports for the European market. Modern port equipment, efficient terminal facilities and an extensive railway and road network are some other main assets the port complex offers.
The port offers an average of 25 daily departures, mainly to the United Kingdom, but also increasingly to Scandinavia, the Baltic region and Southern Europe. Coupled with a wide range of intercontinental services and good hinterland connections, Zeebrugge is particularly suited for international companies to organise their European or worldwide distribution. Meanwhile, many companies have invested considerably in logistics centres. From here, they add value to their cargo before distributing throughout Europe.
Key figures: (Source: MBZ)
- Total surface: 2,847 ha
- Water surface: 1,009 ha
- Total length quays: 16.2 km
- Total length railroad: 180 km
- Total length roads: 40 km
As a gateway to the European continent, the port of Zeebrugge plays an important role in various fields:
Roll-on/roll-off traffic
With an annual volume of more than 2.2 million new cars, Zeebrugge is the absolute world leading roll-on/roll-off port. The port has 300 ha of parking space available for car traffic, and more than 1 million trucks pass through the port every year. Zeebrugge has specialised vigorously in the transport of unaccompanied trailers and 45’ containers. Almost 90% of all roro freight travels over without being accompanied by a driver. Intercontinental car operators make good use of the various inter-European services in Zeebrugge to distribute their rolling cargo all over the world. The cars and machines are adapted to suit the local markets in the logistics centres, where quality control and pre-delivery services are performed.
Container traffic
The port of Zeebrugge is part of an exclusive group of ports that offer sufficient water depth at all times for the huge, modern container carriers. Currently, Zeebrugge can handle ships with a loading capacity of 14,000 TEU (or a length of approx. 400 m, a width of 56 m or 22 rows of containers). With an annual growth of more than 20%, Zeebrugge is one of the fastest growing container ports in Europe. The growing volumes are a direct consequence of the strong economic growth in Asia. Already, one ship leaves for China each day.
Zeebrugge has two container terminals fitted with ultra-modern gantry cranes. “Container Handling Zeebrugge” (PSA/HNN) and “APM Terminals Zeebrugge” handle mostly weekly services to the Middle and Far East. Container traffic to Central and South America is also on the rise. As a result of the scaling-up of the container ships, many containers have to be shipped from Zeebrugge using smaller ships or feeders to their final destination in the United Kingdom, Northern or Southern Europe. In this respect, Zeebrugge is developing into a genuine container hub. Other containers go to the hinterland by truck, block train or barge.
Conventional cargo (fruit, sugar, paper, pulp, pipes…)
In the Northern Inlet dock in the inner port, quite a few companies specialise in labour-intensive niche markets such as the handling and storing of fresh fruit (mainly bananas and kiwi fruit), fresh fruit juices, wood pulp, potatoes and deep-frozen products. Together with the adjacent premises of the Zeebrugge Fish Auction, this zone forms the ‘European Food Centre’.
Bulk goods
In addition to the unit loads, Zeebrugge handles 8 million tonnes of dry bulk and liquid bulk cargoes annually. The port of Zeebrugge is known as one of Europe’s largest gas terminals and a major port for liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports as it already supplies 15% of the Western European gas market. Liquid gas comes from, among others, the Gulf State of Qatar. Norwegian and British gas fields are also connected to Zeebrugge via pipelines. In addition, there is the dry bulk, which essentially consists of materials for the building industry, such as sand and gravel. Grain, fodder and fertilizers are handled here as well.
Distribution centre
Zeebrugge is more than just a quick transit port. In the port itself, new activities have come into existence, which provide added value to the goods. At the fruit terminals and the car terminals, the distribution functions are growing increasingly important. In the inner port, a terrain was provided for the “Zeebrugge Distribution Park”, in which the customers can either build and operate their own facilities for storage and distribution, or have it done by local companies.
This is where, for instance, Japanese tyre manufacturer Bridgestone-Firestone has set up a centre for its annual European distribution of 5 million tyres. In the outer port, StoraEnso distributes its paper products to worldwide destinations. ‘PNG Logistics’ organizes the global distribution of agricultural machines from the Canada terminal. In the Transport Zone Zeebrugge several companies are active in the distribution towards the United Kingdom.
Passengers
Each year, Zeebrugge welcomes around 700,000 passengers, who either make the popular crossings to Hull and Edinburgh or board a luxurious cruise ship. Zeebrugge has developed into a prominent cruise port with more than 45 cruise ships visiting each year. Bruges, recognized by the UNESCO as a world heritage site, certainly is a growing attraction for cruise tourists.
