Ship chandlers & ship supply at Antwerpen BEANR

Port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 266.5 million tonnes in 2025, down 4.1% on 2024, from 20,236 seagoing vessel calls. Containers held steady at 149.4 million tonnes and 13.6 million TEU (up 0.7%), and reefer containers set a record at 1,170,394 TEU; liquid bulk fell with a 19% drop in petroleum products, and about 25 days of industrial action cost an estimated 2.4 million tonnes.^[1,2,3]

—Other trades in 2025: ro-ro up 3% with 3,186,000 new cars, dry bulk 13.1 million tonnes (down 12.1%), and LNG recovering late in the year on a fourfold rise in US supply. The United States became the largest trade partner at 31.3 million tonnes.^[2]

—Cruise calls go to Zeebrugge, the coastal half of the port: 166 cruise ships and 466,089 passengers in 2025. The combined gross tonnage of all calls rose 1.5% to 642 million GT.^[2]

—Rules: the Harbour Master’s Office in Antwerp and Zeebrugge issues the Port Police Regulation, detailed in Port Instructions covering among other things the VHF radio requirement, priority rules, moorings, locks, shore power, waste collection, and the pilot, towage and bunkering services.^[4]

Pilotage at sea and on the Scheldt is provided by the Pilotage of the Agency for Maritime Services and Coast (MDK), whose pilots board and advise the master on navigating and manoeuvring. Once a ship has passed the locks into the Antwerp docks, the dock pilots of Brabo take over.^[5]

—Plan the call around the lock: berths behind the locks mean a second pilot service and lock passage; deliveries to a ship in the docks are timed to its berth, not its Scheldt arrival.^[5,4]

—Waste declaration: the shipping company or agent declares all ship-generated waste to the Harbour Master’s Office 24 hours before arrival (or as soon as the port of call is known, or on leaving the previous port if the voyage is shorter), electronically through APICS.^[6,7]

—Waste delivery and fee: every seagoing vessel must deliver its waste to a licensed port reception facility before leaving, unless it has enough storage on board to reach the next port and deliver there. A mandatory waste fee — fixed plus a GT-based part — is paid on every call whether or not waste is delivered, with an extra fee for hazardous waste. Collection is requested from the chosen reception facility at least 24 hours ahead.^[7]

—Bunkers: about 7–8 million tonnes of conventional fuel (heavy fuel oil, low-sulphur oil, gas oil) are bunkered a year, available throughout the port from licensed bunker operators; notifications are entered through the port’s digital bunker application. Antwerp lies in a Sulphur Emission Control Area. LNG is delivered by road tanker and bunker vessel, methanol bunkering is offered, hydrogen is available by truck and at the CMB station in the Kattendijkdok, and ammonia bunkering is being prepared.^[8]

—Mass flow meters: since 1 January 2026, bunker vessels delivering residual fuels and distillates (fuel oil and diesel) and biofuels in Antwerp-Bruges and Rotterdam must use a certified MFM system, in line with ISO 22192. Violations can bring fines or loss of the bunker licence.^[9]

—Provisions, deck and engine stores, spares and fresh water are arranged commercially through your agent. Post a requirement and suppliers serving Antwerp answer with sealed bids; suppliers never see the vessel’s name until award. If you supply ships on the Scheldt, activate Antwerp.