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Freight Forwarding in Belgium – The European Bridge For Worldwide Business

Despite being one of the smallest countries in the European Union, Belgium is in the top ten largest trading nations worldwide. Its strength in exports and freight services is partly due to its central location and also a work force which is of above average productivity. With its central strategic location, Belgium is an important gateway between Europe and the world and the freight forwarding industry has evolved to capitalise on this important asset of central location. Surrounded by Germany, the Netherlands, France and Luxembourg, as well as being very close to Great Britain, Belgium is at the heart of a consumer market made up of some 454 million people, so it is one of the leading centres for international freight.

As well as freight services, its extraordinary strategic location has also led to Belgium having an important position in international politics, with the European Union, NATO and over 1000 international organisations having their base in Belgium.

There has been a remarkable development of trade and international freight transport from Bruges, Antwerp and the Walloon industrial basins that has its roots right back in the middle ages. It was in the 14th century that Antwerp started to develop as a port and today it is the fourth largest port in the world and the second largest port in Europe. Antwerp offers short transit times to all the world’s main destinations. In 2007, almost 17,000 ships carrying cargo of over 180 million tonnes docked in Antwerp. Antwerp is also the fastest growing port for container transport within the Hamburg – Le Havre range. As well as sea ports at Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ostend, Liege, Brussels, and Ghent, Belgium has also established an efficient freight transport infrastructure made up of motorways, railways and waterways.

Belgium’s extensive inland waterway network, which is over 1500 kilometres long, connects the major Belgian sea ports to Europe’s inland waterways, which are another important facility for shipping companies. Belgium’s main rivers, the Scheldt and the Maas, and their connecting canals and tributaries, cover the whole country.This is the second largest system of waterways in Europe and offers very efficient transport for freight forwarding that is both environmentally friendly and cost-efficient for the shipping company or freight company.

Belgium has a long history of investment in its international freight infrastructure and shipping companies. Its solid logistics and freight forwarding networks always rank highly in international surveys. It was one of the first countries in Europe to use trains and it soon built up the densest railway network in the world. The rail network transports over 62 million tons of freight every year, with high speed trains running up to ten times a day to London, Cologne, Amsterdam and Paris.

Waterways transport has been improved by the creation of boat lifts such as that on the Canal du Centre. The port of Antwerp has built up large dock yards and locks and the Berendrecht lock is the largest lock in the world. There are no less than seven international motorways, covering nearly 2000 kilometres, which connect Belgium with France, Germany and the Netherlands, making international freight transport straight forward by road for freight companies. In addition, there are over 12,000 kilometres of regional road networks. The airports are also modern and efficient. Flight times to most major cities in Europe are under two hours and some 18 million passengers used the airport in 2007. According to the Association of European Airlines (AEA) Brussels International Airport is the most punctual airport in Europe. It also offers the fastest turnaround for air freight transport and handled nearly 800,000 tonnes of freight in 2007. The airports of Liege-Bierset, Charleroi, Antwerp and Ostend also serve many foreign destinations.

With regard to freight services, Belgium has developed the concept of combined transport. A number of container ports for inland shipping have been built and the port of Antwerp has been expanded recently with a tidal container dock, the Deurganck dock, which allows ships to be dealt with even more quickly. The high speed rail infrastructure to and from Antwerp port is also being extended further.

So Belgium is continuing to consolidate its position as the European bridge to worldwide business and a world leader in shipping companies and freight transport.

About the Author

Stephen Willis is Managing Director of
RW Freight Services
a UK based freight transport company, established in 1971 and operating specialist freight services to and from
Belgium

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