Zeebrugge readies itself for trade growth

While Zeebrugge is predicting a possible slowing in growth in terms of global trade, it believes it is well placed to handle rising volumes of intra-European traffic. “Our port is perfect for shortsea services and companies want to include maritime connections in their transport strategies to achieve a sustainable policy,” says a port spokesman. “Transhipment will also increase – mostly to serve the UK.”

New services attracted last year included P&O’s ro-ro link with Tilbury, now running twice daily; P&O was already a well-established operator at Zeebrugge with its services to Hull and Teesport. In September, Transfennica – new to Zeebrugge – set up a ro-ro connection between Bilbao and the Belgian port, with three departures a week in both directions.

The new service was described by the port as an answer for the “missing link” between Zeebrugge and Southern Europe. “With this, Zeebrugge sets the tone in Europe to shift more cargo units from the busy roads to the water,” said the port. “The service is a maritime alternative to avoid the traffic jams around Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux and at the Spanish border.”