The port of Zeebrugge was closing on the 3m mark for the number of finished vehicles handled through its terminals when it got to the end of 2019, up 4.4% on the previous year (see table). That contributed to a 14.2% growth in overall freight volumes for the year at the port.

According to the port authority, the increase in throughput was in part thanks to the expertise of the workforce, with skilled staff at pre-delivery inspection (PDI) centres at all of the terminals. It was also down to developments in technology supporting a more sustainable industry, including the instalment of a charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs). Terminal operator ICO has introduced a battery charging area at the Bastenaken terminal that includes 304 battery chargers with 11kWh each and two superchargers of 135kWh each.