Zeebrugge taking advantage of Brexit
The port of Zeebrugge’s figures remained stable in H1/2021, overall, with specific trades growing. The total tonnage for the first semester of 2021 increased by 0.6% vis-à-vis the same period last year, to 25.2 million t. Roll-on/roll-off traffic, in turn, grew by 13.8%, to 7.3 million t. Ro-ro traffic to and from Ireland experienced particularly strong growth of 23.7%, thanks to increased capacity on these routes.
As a result of customs formalities arising from Brexit, growing volumes are transported directly to Ireland, to avoid the UK landbridge. Shipping companies have responded to rising demand and increased capacities on these liner services. Traffic in other shortsea connections also went up considerably; those to and from Scandinavia by 13.8% and trade with Southern Europe by 28.7%.
Port CEO Tom Hautekiet pointed out that “the shipment of general cargo has been increasingly shifting to containers for some years now. Although we still face challenges worldwide, the port of Zeebrugge is on a stable course.” (cd)
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