Port of Antwerp-Bruges nears 1.2 million TEUs in reefers

February 17, 2026

Port of Antwerp-Bruges closed 2025 with a record year in the reefer segment, handling 1.17 million TEU of refrigerated containers, the highest volume recorded at the port.

The total represents a 0.6 per cent increase on 2024, driven primarily by a 13.5 per cent rise in import volumes.

Export volumes remained broadly stable, up 0.9 per cent, accounting for 35 per cent of total reefer throughput.

Transhipment volumes declined by 4.4 per cent, reflecting adjustments to carrier schedules. Overall, nearly one in 10 containers arriving at the port is a fully operational reefer unit, underlining the scale of temperature-controlled cargo flows.

Conventional refrigerated transport grew by 4.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY).

READ: Port of Antwerp-Bruges plans permanent RoRo dock by 2027

Imports edged down 0.7 per cent, while exports of conventional refrigerated goods rose sharply by 52.5 per cent, supported by sustained demand and established logistics networks.

Around 90 per cent of reefer imports consist of fresh products, including fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, predominantly from Latin America.

Imports from Panama increased by 122.8 per cent, while South Africa rose 36.2 per cent. Ecuador recorded a 21.8 per cent decline.

On the export side, the US remains the principal destination market. Shipments of fruit and vegetables to Egypt increased by 206.7 per cent. Morocco expanded both as an origin and destination market, while exports to Russia fell by 25.4 per cent.

READ: Port of Antwerp-Bruges navigates trade shocks in 2025

European exports — mainly from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France — consist largely of frozen products distributed across multiple global markets.

The port’s cold chain capabilities were presented at Fruit Logistica in Berlin, where it exhibited alongside eight companies: BNFW, De Ridder-Vanpaemel, DPS, Eurofruitports, Fresh Connection, Gate4EU, Geodis and GTS.

Tineke Van de Voorde, Key Account Manager at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, said: “Our joint presence at Fruit Logistica shows that the success of our reefer traffic is truly a story of the entire port community. The fact that nearly one in ten containers arriving at our port is a fully operational reefer shows how crucial temperature-controlled logistics has become today, and how strong we stand together in this field.”

In January, Port of Antwerp-Bruges strengthened its sustainable mobility ecosystem with the arrival of Windrose, which opened its first European flagship site along Antwerp’s Noorderlaan.