Tariffs and trade uncertainty have not yet caused export spikes at the Port of Antwerp Bruges, which handled 28m tonnes of goods in 2024, including significant finished vehicle and parts trade.
The Port of Antwerp Bruges is closely monitoring developments around US import tariffs and says that so far there have been no significant traffic shifts directly linked recent trade policy measures taken by the US or European Union. In a statement the port authority said “a marked increase in exports to the US has not materialised”.
It outlined that the US is the second-largest global trading partner for the ports and has been for two decades. It reported that maritime trade volume totalled 28m tonnes in 2024, accounting for around 10% of the joint ports’ overall cargo traffic.
Container exports from the ports (613,437 TEUs) mainly consisted of automotive and machinery parts, primarily from Germany, along with vehicles, as well as chemicals, plastics, food and pharmaceuticals. In 2024, 206,000 finished vehicles were shipped by ro-ro vessel from the ports to the US, while 76,000 vehicles were imported from there. This makes Antwerp Bruges responsible for over a quarter of Europe’s transatlantic finished vehicle traffic, according to the port authority.
Container exports to the US from Antwerp-Bruges rose by 3.2% in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year which the port authority said is below the overall container traffic increase of 4.6%. Car exports declined by 19.5% for the quarter to 37,743, in line with the overall decline in car exports (-13.5%), according to the port authority.
“Although the direct impact remains limited for now, it is clear that further developments in trade tariffs and geopolitical tensions could affect the logistics chain,” said the port authority in a statement. “Port of Antwerp Bruges remains in close contact with companies and terminals active in container shipping, chemicals and automotive logistics, and is continuously monitoring the situation.”
Since April 3 vehicles and car parts from Europe have been subject to a 25% tariff, joining iron, steel, aluminium and derivative products. The EU has announced its own countermeasures, including €18 billion worth of industrial and agricultural products, including steel and aluminium, appliances, tools, plastics, wood products and foodstuffs. However, both sides have temporarily paused measures during a 90-day negotiation window. For the European Union, this means a provisional 10% import tariff applies during the negotiation period.
In a press conference held at the end of January this year, the Port of Antwerp Bruges’ CEO Jacques Vandermeiren said that ports were now having to deal with a world less organised by shared rules and moving more into a world in which competing trading blocs were living by their own rules. He noted the uncertainty caused by Donald Trump’s return to the Whitehouse and the raft of tariff threats made in his first week there, which include toward the EU. Vandermeiren said the trend toward tariffs on trade, including those taken by the EU against China, hindered imports and exports, though he noted that Chinese carmakers seemed largely undaunted and ready to absorb the additional import costs.
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