With 74.2mt (+6.8% year-on-year), containerised freight cut out the largest share, followed by 46.1mt (+0.7% yoy) of liquid and 7.6mt of dry bulk (+0.4% yoy), 10.3mt of wheeled (ro-ro) cargo (-5.7% yoy), and 5.0mt of break-bulk (-6.2% yoy).
Antwerp-Bruges' container traffic advanced by 4.1% yoy to 6,665k TEUs.
The Belgian ports also handled 1.66m vehicles (-9% yoy).
The Port of Zeebrugge welcomed 270.6k cruise passengers (+8.9% yoy) on board 82 vessels.
"The past half year has certainly not been without challenges. But despite the ongoing geopolitical tensions, a still fragile economic climate and farmers' protests, we are continuing with positive figures once more, showing even stronger growth in the first quarter. Alongside container throughput, other product groups are also experiencing a positive trend. Moreover, despite these challenges, we remain committed to advancing our pioneering role in the energy transition, including initiatives such as shore power projects and truck charging infrastructure. This indicates that we are progressing towards making 2024 a year of significant achievements across all areas, driven by our ongoing resilience and the collective efforts of the entire port community," commented Jacques Vandermeiren, the Port of Antwerp-Bruges' CEO.
Annick De Ridder, Port Alderman for the City of Antwerp and Chair of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges' Board of Directors, added, "Our growth stands as compelling evidence of our resilience as a world port and our dedication as ambitious pioneers. Furthermore, our market share in the Hamburg-Le Havre Range is continuing to grow. With the launch of the Methatug [a tugboat running on methanol], we proved once again that we will continue to pioneer and invest even during challenging times. Now that we can accommodate ships with a draught of 16 metres, Antwerp is very well-positioned to be the first port of call for the largest container ships. This is how we and our companies are fully focused on sustainable growth and are reinforcing our position as the economic engine of Flanders."
Dirk De fauw, Mayor of the City of Bruges and Deputy Chair of the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, also said, "These positive figures show once again how strong we are with two complementary port platforms. But in order to maintain our role as a world port and a key gateway to and from Europe, capacity and sustainable growth are needed. Establishing the initial draft project decision for the New Lock at Zeebrugge was a major milestone, as was the further development of the Southern Channel Basin at Zeebrugge with the expansion of ICO's RoRo terminal [by 600-m-long quayside]."