![\"Port](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Port-of-Antwerp-300x157.png?resize=300%2C157&ssl=1\")
<\/div>\n![\"Port](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Port-of-Antwerp.png?resize=1200%2C628\")
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges became the leading container port in the Hamburg-Le Havre range, overtaking the Port of Rotterdam in the first quarter of 2025.<\/p>\n
It handled 3.44 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units), slightly ahead of Rotterdam\u2019s 3.36 million TEUs.<\/p>\n
This marks a strong 4.5% increase in Antwerp\u2019s container traffic compared to the same period last year.<\/p>\n
Despite this growth in containers, the port\u2019s total cargo volume dropped by 4.0%, coming down to 67.7 million tonnes.<\/p>\n
The drop is mainly due to a decrease in both dry and liquid bulk cargoes.<\/p>\n
Several factors contributed to Antwerp\u2019s rise in container volumes. The recent restructuring of global container alliances and congestion at competing ports led to longer ship turnaround times.<\/p>\n
These factors helped shift more traffic toward Antwerp, boosting its container throughput.<\/p>\n As a result, the port\u2019s share in the Hamburg-Le Havre range rose to 30.5% in 2024, and its global ranking improved from 15th to 14th among the world\u2019s top container ports.<\/p>\n While Rotterdam also saw a 2.2% increase in the number of containers handled, its total tonnage in this segment fell by 1.1%, suggesting lighter cargo loads.<\/p>\n The overall cargo throughput at Rotterdam dropped 5.8% to 103.7 million tonnes, with significant declines in crude oil, oil products, coal, and iron ore.<\/p>\n Antwerp\u2019s liquid bulk segment recorded the steepest fall, down by 19.1%.<\/p>\n Gasoline, naphtha, and LNG volumes all dropped due to shifting market trends in Africa, lower demand from the petrochemical sector, and the impact of European sanctions on Russian LNG transshipment.<\/p>\n However, diesel volumes jumped by nearly 24%, and biofuels rose sharply by 128%, which helped balance out the drop in other chemical shipments.<\/p>\n On the roll-on\/roll-off (RoRo) side, Antwerp managed a 1.1% increase, despite a notable 11.3% decrease in new car shipments.<\/p>\n This was offset by higher volumes of second-hand vehicles and unaccompanied trailers. Dry bulk cargo remained stable, with just a slight 0.8% dip.<\/p>\n![\"Port](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.marineinsight.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/portofantwerpbruges.png?resize=1200%2C628\")