How much damage have strikes and an oil leak done to the port of Antwerp-Bruges?
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges reported lower cargo throughput for the first half of 2026, and the port authority points to two culprits: repeated national strike days that shut down locks, pilotage and terminals, and an oil leak that disrupted shipping traffic,…
In 30 seconds
- Port of Antwerp-Bruges reported a decline in goods throughput for the first half of 2026, per half-year figures reported by VRT NWS.
- The port authority attributes the drop chiefly to repeated national strike days and an oil leak that disrupted shipping traffic.
- The merged port handled roughly 278 million tonnes of cargo in 2024 and is Europe's second-largest seaport after Rotterdam.
- National Bank of Belgium studies attribute on the order of 164,000 direct and indirect jobs to the Antwerp port platform.
Key fact
278 million The merged port handled roughly tonnes of cargo in 2024 and is Europe's second-largest seaport after Rotterdam.
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the merged seaport entity created in 2022 from the ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge. It is Europe's second-largest seaport after Rotterdam, handled roughly 278 million tonnes of cargo in 2024, hosts Europe's largest chemicals cluster, and — according to National Bank of Belgium studies — supports on the order of 164,000 direct and indirect jobs. Its half-year 2026 figures, reported by VRT NWS, show a decline in goods throughput that the port authority attributes chiefly to repeated national strike days called by the ACV-CSC and ABVV/FGTB unions against federal reforms, and to an oil leak that disrupted shipping traffic in the dock complex.
Background
Antwerp and Zeebrugge merged their port authorities in April 2022 to compete better with Rotterdam. Throughput fell markedly in 2023 amid weak European industrial demand before recovering modestly in 2024. Strike waves accompanying federal reform rounds have repeatedly disrupted the port over the past decade; the current cycle began after the De Wever government took office in February 2025 with a pension and labour-market reform agenda that triggered recurring national days of action by the ACV-CSC and ABVV/FGTB.
What to do
Businesses importing or exporting through Antwerp should budget for possible strike-related delays and congestion surcharges in the second half of 2026 and consider contingency routings. For workers in Flemish logistics, the figures signal pressure on shift volumes; for households, prolonged disruption can feed marginally into the price of imported goods.
Impact
Regional — Flanders carries the direct exposure: port labour and logistics employment in the Antwerp region and around Zeebrugge, plus the Flemish chemicals and industrial cluster that depends on reliable maritime access. Alfaport-Voka, the Flemish port employers' federation, has framed the strike-related losses as a Flemish competitiveness problem.
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- Published:
- 16 Jul 2026, 02:00
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 16 Jul 2026
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- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 16 Jul 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 16 Jul 2026
- Publication date unavailable
- Retrieved by ODIN:
- 16 Jul 2026
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This story was assembled from verified evidence, with its sources and reasoning recorded as it was written.