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Port of Zeebrugge: linking the UK and European hinterlands

Located on the northeastern coast of Belgium, Zeebrugge is a deep sea container port with connections to all continents. When it comes to short sea shipping, Zeebrugge is an important roll-on/roll-off port for Great Britain, the Iberian Peninsula and Scandinavia. It's also accessible at any time, even to the largest container ships in the world.

Excellent UK and hinterland connections

The Port of Zeebrugge has excellent hinterland connections and is located in close proximity to end markets. As a ‘clean port’, it is essential to the transport of food in Europe. Businesses can also take advantage of the port’s custom distribution and investment options.

The Port of Zeebrugge’s successful ‘door-to-door’ concept provides daily links between Zeebrugge and the various ports in the UK at a comparatively low cost. As a result, orders picked in a Zeebrugge warehouse before 2 p.m. are guaranteed a just-in-time (JIT) delivery at UK clients the very next day.

Lots of capacity

In 2016, the Port of Zeebrugge handles 38 million tons of maritime goods, mainly in the form of containers and ro-ro freight.

  • Total land area – 2,857 hectares
  • Total water area – 1,000 hectares
  • Total length of quay walls – 18.2 kilometers
  • Total length of railways – 187.3 kilometers 
  • Total length of roads – 42.7 kilometers

Europe’s vehicle, food and halal port

The Port of Zeebrugge is one of the world’s prominent vehicle-handling ports, and the destination for many cruise ships. It is also an important hub for the transport of liquefied natural gas (responsible for 15% of European gas distribution), and is specialized in handling fresh and frozen foodstuffs.

The holder of multiple food handling certifications, Zeebrugge also has a strong tradition of seafood logistics expertise and features state-of-the-art cold storage facilities with a capacity of over 200,000 m³. It is the site of many shipping and forwarding companies and customs agencies specialized in seafood logistics and reefer transport, for fast clearance of seafood cargo.

The Port of Zeebrugge also offers certified logistics for halal products – foods, beverages and every-day products allowed under Islamic (dietary) guidelines. As such, the port ensures a full halal supply chain by means of:

  • intercontinental reefer container services,
  • ultra-modern cold storage and warehousing facilities,
  • halal-handling border inspection services,
  • partnerships with dedicated transport companies.

Did you know…

  • … the Port of Zeebrugge is the largest hub for new cars in the world, handling 2.7 million units in 2016?
  • … the port hosts the European production center for Tropicana products?

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