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Port of Zeebrugge 2019: 14.2% growth
The port of Zeebrugge handled a total volume of 45.8 million tonnes in 2019. This 14.2 percent growth is the result of advancement in all important sectors in the port of Zeebrugge: roll-on/roll-off, liquid natural gas, containers and new vehicles. With nearly 25 percent growth over the last two years, Zeebrugge starts the new decade very positively.
The roll-on/roll-off traffic rises 3.7% to a total volume of nearly 16.5 million tonnes. Growth occurs on the following destinations: Ireland (+6.3%), Spain (+153.1%), thanks to great results on the Santander connection by Cobelfret and the scaling-up of the Finnlines connection to Bilbao. Deepsea roro also rises (13.9%).
The roro traffic with destination UK decreases with -2.5% and Scandinavia roro cargo also drops -2.7 percent. The year 2019 was marked with many Brexit deadlines. A shift of cargo to the Ireland destinations and a Brexit effect can explain the loss in UK roro loads. The reshuffling of services to Gothenburg have led to a small loss on this destination.
After only one year of status quo, 2019 was a new year of growth for the automotive sector in Zeebrugge. The total number of handled vehicles (2,960,339) results in a growth of 4.6%.
The total tonnage of containers handled in the port of Zeebrugge is 16.2 million tonnes, a rise of 7%. In TEU the number of containers rises 4.8%, 1.7 million TEUs in total.
The liquid bulk (10.8 million tonnes) rises significantly (+60.8%) thanks to the LNG-volumes that have doubled in 2019 (+107.5%).
The breakbulk volume decreases with -13.5%, the total volume reaches 896,892 tonnes.
The solid bulk rises +7.6% to a volume of 1.3 million tonnes.
The number of cruise calls in the Port of Zeebrugge rises slightly, 6 more than in 2018: 149 in total in 2019.
The port labour is still doing well in Zeebrugge. There is a rise in the number of port labour shifts (+3%) and a rise in the number of port labourers (+5.6%, 103 people extra). Recruitment is also going well, 169 people have completed the initiation course in 2019 and were officiated as port labourers.