The port of Brussels saw a record-setting year for traffic in 2021, making it a good year for waterway transport.
Waterway traffic for the Brussels port (meaning the goods that are loaded and unloaded in Brussels), increased by 10% last year, Belga News Agency reports.
With almost 5.5 million tonnes, port activity has never been so dynamic in almost 30 years, making 2021 the best year since the establishment of the Port of Brussels' regional company in 1993.
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Overall traffic in 2021 reached 7.1 million tonnes, which is equivalent to a 7% increase compared with the previous year.
More boats in the canal means less trucks in the city
This increase is somewhat lower than that of the company's own traffic, as transit traffic decreased by 3% to 1.66 million tonnes in 2021.
Photo from Port of Brussels
“It should be noted that this decrease in transit traffic can be partially explained by the closure of the Ronquières ramp for one and a half months,” the Port of Brussels explained.
The environmental impact of waterway traffic is considerable: increases mean that over the whole of 2021, 664,000 fewer trucks were driving in and around Brussels, which is equivalent to 103,000 fewer tonnes of CO2 in the atmosphere and 26 million euros less in external costs.
