The Port of Antwerp is the gateway to Europe, handling more than 180 million tonnes of freight annually, with the figure rising each year. Antwerp is the second largest port in Europe for international shipping freight and the fourth largest in the world.

Its central position in North-West Europe and its excellent connections with the most important centres of industry and consumption in Europe have led to Antwerp becoming a very important link in the chain of international trade.

But the port is much more than just a loading and unloading point: here, goods are also stored, repacked, distributed and made ready for transport to their final destinations.

Thanks to its enormous storage capacity the port acts as the “supermarket of Europe” where all types of products obtain the specialised handling and storage that they require.

Antwerp is also the ideal port for the future, as it is the only port where millions of tonnes of freight can be carried so far inland. Freight can be brought 80 km inland to Antwerp by the most environment-friendly of all transport modes, avoiding many truckloads being carried over the same distance. From a European perspective Antwerp is the best choice not only from an economic but also from an ecological point of view.

Strong in this conviction, the port of Antwerp has set itself the firm ambition of expanding its annual freight volume to 300 million tonnes.

Antwerp is a multifunctional port, where all types of freight are loaded, unloaded, stored and handled in the appropriate way. This demands specialised equipment and trained personnel.

The Flemish dockers have a worldwide reputation as flexible, multi-skilled workers. Their work ethic, combined with the most modern handling techniques, ensures the highest imaginable productivity in every sector.

This combination of a highly-trained labour force and the most modern handling techniques ensures the high productivity and excellent service for which the port is known and valued around the world. Antwerp's reputation as a fast port is due in large measure to its flexible dock labour system. The shift system keeps the port continuously operational, day and night, 365 days per year.

The port is also an important generator of cargo. Compared with other western European ports, Antwerp has a good balance between imports and exports in most freight categories.

This striking feature of Antwerp is closely related to its central location with respect to the hinterland: from Antwerp the most important centres of consumption and production in Europe can all be easily reached, by road, rail or barge transport. The presence in Antwerp of more than 300 transport companies contributes to its excellent ability to attract cargo.

Antwerp has a centuries-old tradition as a trading centre. Today the city is still one of the most prominent centres of trade in Europe, thanks to the direct links with sea transport and Europe’s multimodal transport network. As a trading centre, Antwerp is strategically located for anyone who wishes to reach 60% of the purchasing power of the European Union, with a mega-market concentrated within a radius of 500 kilometres.

As a crucial link in the chain of supply it is the partner of choice for large logistics companies and leading service groups that concentrate on shipping freight, transport, storage, distribution and added-value activities.

Among other things, the port offers more than 5.3 m² of warehousing, making it by far the largest storage supplier of all European ports, with more covered storage space than all other North-West European ports together. Thanks to these extensive, specialised storage facilities, companies are able to hold buffer stocks, allowing them to react flexibly to the requirements of their overseas and inland customers.

Many warehouses offer specialised facilities: there are silos for grain, cement, plastics, quartz sand, coffee and wine, along with reefer tanks for fruit juice and warehouses for cocoa, tea, tobacco, sugar, chemicals, China clay and forest products. There are refrigerated warehouses for meat, fish, tropical fruit and dairy products, while oils, fats, petroleum products and chemicals are kept in special tanks.

There are also warehouse facilities for products with special requirements in terms of temperature and ventilation. And when it comes to dangerous goods there are storage centres that comply with the strictest national and European regulations for fire prevention, fire-fighting, safety at work and protection of the environment.

The port of Antwerp has developed into the most important European centre for consolidation of shipping freight in LCL (less than container load) consignments. Furthermore it offers the possibility to handle additional or supplementary goods.

Freight handlers who want to reinforce their competitive position while compressing costs and reducing transport times make Antwerp their strategic choice. The port of Antwerp plays a crucial role in the logistics chain, doing everything to work on-target, on-time and on-budget.

undoubtedly offers the widest logistical service of all European seaports. Various multinational companies have built their own depots in the port area, and have developed their distribution activities under their own management. However, most call on the services of a local operator. In this connection many port companies specialise in contract distribution, ensuring a flexible and extensive range of services.

The activities on offer range from pre-assembly, labelling, quality and stock control to after-sales service and maintenance. Postponed manufacturing is a further important advantage offered by Antwerp and Flanders, enabling manufacturers to have final operations carried out here. The freight handlers for their part put a great deal of effort into tracking/tracing and other electronic systems designed to achieve more efficient management of the logistical chain.

As Europe’s logistics hub, the Antwerp region offers sufficient space for anyone wishing to set up regional, European or even world distribution centres.

In 2007 the port of Antwerp handled 182.9 million tonnes of freight, with containers naturally playing a very important role. Last year a total container volume of 94.5 million tonnes was loaded and unloaded. Also during this period 39.6 million tonnes of liquid bulk and 24.5 million tonnes of dry bulk was loaded and unloaded. In the meantime, conventional/breakbulk freight is doing well in Antwerp. In the course of 2007, ships brought 19.8 million tonnes of general cargo to and from the port of Antwerp, along with more than 4.4 million tonnes or ro/ro freight.