At the extraordinary general meeting on 22 April 2022, the two cities signed the shareholders' agreement of the unified port company.

The combined entity has an overall cargo throughput of 289mt/year (2021 data), including 159mt of containerised freight (some 14.2m TEUs), 82.4mt of liquid bulk, 19.2mt of wheeled (ro-ro) cargo, 15.1mt of dry bulk, and 13.2m of break-bulk.

The ports' 2021 passenger traffic amounted to 114k travellers.

"The unified port is not only the economic engine of Flanders, but together, the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge will also form the largest export port, largest throughput port for vehicles, and the leading chemical hub in Europe! At the same time, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges has major ambitions to become the energy gateway to Europe as a 'green port.' In short, Flemish economic history is being written here today," Annick De Ridder, Vice-Mayor of the City of Antwerp and President of the board of directors of Port of Antwerp-Bruges, commented.

Dirk De fauw, added, "As Mayor of the City of Bruges and Vice-President of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, I am convinced that this merger will lead to sustainable growth in economic activity and jobs in both sites, and boost Flanders' international reputation around the world. Together, we are stronger."

The two will now work on multiple projects, such as increasing container handling capacity, capturing, storing and reusing CO2, and receiving hydrogen and its derivatives.

The merger was announced in February last year.

Photo: Port of Antwerp-Bruges