Logistics services in Belgium.

Europe & Central Asia · High income · capital Brussels

Belgium scores 4.0 of 5 on the World Bank Logistics Performance Index 2022, 7th of 169 countries: among the top logistics performers in the world.

The World Port Index lists 7 ports here, 3 of them large or medium; the biggest is Antwerpen (BEANR).

Its container ports handled 12.4 million TEU in 2024 (17th in the world).

Merchandise trade in 2025: $568.1 billion exports and $537.7 billion imports.

Logistics Performance Index4.00 / 57th of 169 · 2022

Container port traffic12.4 million TEU17th in the world · 2024

Air freight1.8 billion t-km2023

Rail freight6.7 billion t-km2011

Merchandise exports$568.1 billion5th in Europe & Central Asia · 2025

Merchandise imports$537.7 billion2025

Source: World Bank Open Data, latest year reported per indicator; ranks count only countries with data.

Belgium logistics overview: modes, trade and gateways

Belgium handles containerized sea freight, air cargo, rail shipments, and cross-border trucking for both imports and exports. Goods move through seaports such as Antwerpen, Zeebrugge, Ghent, Oostende, and Bruxelles, with cargo pier depths up to about 14 m. Scheduled air cargo uses five main airports including Brussels Airport and Liège Airport. Rail freight connects through about 3,602 km of track, while road freight links to France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

Container volumes of about 12.4 million TEU and a liner shipping connectivity index of 86.96 show strong maritime connectivity. Export and import lead times of about 2 and 3 days support fast door-to-door services when paired with forwarders and carriers. Shippers can combine sea, air, rail, and road legs through Belgium to serve major European partners such as France, the Netherlands, and Germany.

Main exports	refined petroleum, natural gas, vaccines, cars, packaged medicine
Export partners	France 20%, Netherlands 15%, Germany 14%, Italy 6%, USA 5%
Main imports	cars, natural gas, vaccines, packaged medicine, crude petroleum
Import partners	Netherlands 20%, Germany 13%, France 11%, USA 7%, Ireland 4%

Source: CIA World Factbook, top five goods and partners by value.

Freight forwarders in Belgium

When selecting freight forwarders in Belgium, align their capabilities with the country’s seaport and airport network. Antwerpen is the main container port, with additional handling at Zeebrugge, Ghent, Oostende, and Bruxelles, plus scheduled services through Brussels Airport, Charleroi, Ostend-Bruges, Antwerp Deurne, and Liège. Check that your forwarder works regularly with these gateways and understands short sea routes to Bremerhaven, Hamburg, and Gothenburg.

Belgium’s overall Logistics Performance Index score is 4, with customs at 3.9 and international shipments at 3.8 against world medians of 2.6 and 2.8. This supports use of Belgium as a regional hub, but forwarders should show clear processes for shipment coordination. Shippers trading with France, the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, the USA, or Ireland should confirm that their forwarder has experience with these lanes and with EU and OECD trade environments.

Need a forwarder for Belgium? Get FCL, LCL and air quotes from carriers and forwarders in one search.Compare freight rates

FCL and LCL shipping to and from Belgium

FCL and LCL shipping from and to Belgium uses a network of 7 seaports, with Antwerpen, Zeebrugge and Ghent as the largest commercial hubs. The country handled about 12.4 million TEU in 2024 and has a liner shipping connectivity index of 86.96 in 2021. Main liner operators with offices in Antwerp include Hapag-Lloyd, APL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, HMM, MSC, Maersk, ONE, OOCL, X-Press Feeders and ZIM.

Observed FCL rates to Antwerpen on 31 October 2026 include Busan to Antwerpen at a median of 4,145 USD for a 40HC, Mundra to Antwerpen at 4,156 USD for a 20ST, and Karachi to Antwerpen at 4,202 USD for a 20ST. LCL from Mundra to Antwerpen is about 997 USD per 500 kg / 1 m³. From Antwerpen to Shanghai, the median FCL rate is 7,720 USD for a 40ST on the same date.

Seaports in Belgium

7 ports in the World Port Index:1 large, 2 medium, 2 small, 2 very small.

Port	UN/LOCODE	Size	Harbour type	Cargo pier depth	Rail access
Antwerpen	`BEANR`	LargeL	River (Tide Gates)	11 m	-
Zeebrugge	`BEZEE`	MediumM	Coastal (Breakwater)	14 m	Yes
Ghent	`BEGNE`	MediumM	Canal or Lake	11 m	Yes
Oostende	`BEOST`	SmallS	River (Tide Gates)	4.9 m	Yes
Bruxelles	`BEBRU`	SmallS	River (Tide Gates)	3.4 m	Yes
Bruges	`BEBGS`	Very SmallXS	Canal or Lake	4.9 m	Yes
Nieuwpoort	`BENIE`	Very SmallXS	Canal or Lake	3.4 m	Yes

Source: NGA World Port Index, Pub. 150. Depths are charted values, not today's draft limits. Old names are kept in brackets.

Observed shipping rates for Belgium

All-in port-to-port prices from our own rate searches, USD: median and lowest to highest quote we saw.

Lane	Mode	Unit	Median	Range	Date
Busan → Antwerpen	FCL	40HC	$4,145	$3,040 to $5,740	31 Oct 2026
Mundra → Antwerpen	FCL	20ST	$4,156	$1,850 to $6,220	31 Oct 2026
Karachi → Antwerpen	FCL	20ST	$4,202	$1,850 to $5,863	31 Oct 2026
Mundra → Antwerpen	LCL	500 kg / 1 m³	$997	$622 to $1,012	31 Oct 2026
Antwerpen → Shanghai	FCL	40ST	$7,720	$234 to $7,720	31 Oct 2026
Karachi → Antwerpen	LCL	500 kg / 1 m³	$1,021	$622 to $1,054	31 Oct 2026
Shanghai → Antwerpen	FCL	40HC	$3,500	$3,040 to $4,250	28 Oct 2026
Antwerpen → Ningbo	FCL	40HC	$7,937	$234 to $8,684	31 Oct 2026

Source: Navo24 rate searches (134 quotes). Rates move weekly; run a live search before booking.

Shipping lines with offices in Belgium

APLAntwerp

CMA CGMAntwerp

COSCOAntwerp

EvergreenAntwerp

Hapag-LloydAntwerp

HMMAntwerp

MaerskAntwerp

MSCAntwerp

ONEAntwerp

OOCLAntwerp

X-Press FeedersAntwerp

ZIMAntwerp

Source: the lines' own office and agent pages, checked 25 Oct 2026.

Sea routes from Belgium

Antwerp → Bremerhaven584 km · 23 h
Antwerp → Hamburg670 km · 26 h
Antwerp → Gothenburg1,001 km · 39 h
Antwerp → Gdansk1,735 km · 2.8 days
Antwerp → Algeciras2,567 km · 4.1 days
Antwerp → Valencia3,278 km · 5.3 days

Air freight in Belgium

Scheduled air freight operates through five main airports: Brussels Airport (BRU), Brussels South Charleroi (CRL), Ostend-Bruges (OST), Antwerp International (Deurne) (ANR), and Liège Airport (LGG). Belgium recorded about 1.8 billion tonne-km of air cargo in 2023 and has a total of 48 airports.

Air freight in Belgium suits time-sensitive exports such as vaccines, packaged medicine, and high-value automotive components. It also supports urgent imports of cars, natural gas-related equipment, vaccines, and pharmaceuticals. Short flight distances from Brussels to Amsterdam, Cologne, and Luxembourg enhance regional air distribution options for shippers.

Airports for air cargo

5 airports with scheduled passenger and cargo service.

BRUBrussels AirportZaventem · EBBR

CRLBrussels South Charleroi AirportCharleroi · EBCI

OSTOstend-Bruges International AirportOostende · EBOS

ANRAntwerp International Airport (Deurne)Antwerp · EBAW

LGGLiège AirportGrâce-Hollogne · EBLG

Source: OurAirports open data.

Brussels (BRU) → Amsterdam (AMS)166 km · 1.0 h
Brussels (BRU) → Cologne (CGN)196 km · 1.0 h
Brussels (BRU) → Luxembourg (LUX)197 km · 1.0 h
Brussels (BRU) → Paris (CDG)264 km · 1.1 h
Brussels (BRU) → Frankfurt (FRA)320 km · 1.1 h
Brussels (BRU) → London (LHR)368 km · 1.2 h

Rail and road freight in Belgium

Belgium has about 3,602 km of railways and recorded about 6.7 billion tonne-km of rail freight in 2011. Rail-connected ports include Zeebrugge, Ghent, Oostende, and Bruxelles, linking maritime flows to the hinterland. Short rail routes from Antwerp connect to Duisburg at 234 km, Paris at 359 km, and London at 415 km.

Road freight benefits from borders with France, Germany, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands, with cross-border distances such as Antwerp to Duisburg at 181 km and Brussels to Amsterdam at 231 km. These routes integrate Belgium’s ports and airports with major neighboring markets and transshipment hubs.

Railway network	3,602 km
Land borders	France 556 km; Germany 133 km; Luxembourg 130 km; Netherlands 478 km

Source: CIA World Factbook.

Rail routes

Antwerp → Duisburg234 km · 7.8 h
Antwerp → Paris359 km · 12 h
Antwerp → London415 km · 14 h
Antwerp → Bremen474 km · 16 h
Antwerp → Hamburg580 km · 19 h
Antwerp → Basel614 km · 21 h

Road routes

Antwerp → Duisburg181 km · 2.3 h
Brussels → Amsterdam231 km · 2.9 h
Brussels → Duisburg232 km · 2.8 h
Brussels → Paris309 km · 3.8 h
Antwerp → Paris361 km · 4.3 h
Brussels → London372 km · 6.4 h

Routes open in Navo Distance, where you can change the stops.

Customs clearance in Belgium

Customs clearance in Belgium is handled by the Belgian General Administration Customs and Excise. The country has been a World Customs Organization member since 1952-12-11 and participates in the WTO, EU, and OECD. The average applied tariff was about 1.33 percent in 2022.

Belgium’s Logistics Performance Index customs score is 3.9 compared with a world median of 2.6, and overall LPI is 4 versus a median of 2.7. Median border lead times are about 2 days for exports and 3 days for imports. For smooth clearance, shippers should ensure accurate commercial invoices, packing lists, and transport documents aligned with EU requirements.

Customs authority	Belgian General Administration Customs and Excise
World Customs Organization	Member since 1952
World Trade Organization	Member
Trade and economic blocs	EU, OECD
Average applied tariff	1.3% (2022, weighted mean, all products)
LPI customs score	3.90 / 5 (world median 2.6)
Export lead time, port or airport	2.0 days median (2018)
Import lead time, port or airport	3.0 days median (2018)

Every shipment needs at least a commercial invoice, a packing list and a transport document (bill of lading, air waybill or CMR). See Incoterms for who clears customs at each end.

Sources: Wikidata (customs authority, WCO membership), CIA World Factbook (WTO, blocs), World Bank (tariff, LPI, lead times). Rules change; confirm with a licensed customs broker.

Logistics Performance Index 2022: Belgium

Six survey scores from 1 to 5. The grey tick is the world median. Every LPI component is at or above the world median; logistics competence leads.

Customs3.90

Infrastructure4.10

International shipments3.80

Logistics competence4.20

Tracking and tracing4.00

Timeliness4.20

Source: World Bank LPI, survey of logistics professionals.

Logistics in Belgium: FAQ

What are the main ports in Belgium?

By World Port Index harbour size: Antwerpen (BEANR), Zeebrugge (BEZEE), Ghent (BEGNE), Oostende (BEOST). 7 ports in total.

How does customs clearance work in Belgium?

Customs clearance in Belgium is handled by Belgian General Administration Customs and Excise. Belgium has been a World Customs Organization member since 1952. Average applied tariff: 1.3% (2022). LPI customs score 3.9 against a world median of 2.6.

Which shipping lines have offices in Belgium?

Hapag-Lloyd, APL, CMA CGM, COSCO, Evergreen, HMM, MSC, Maersk and 4 more, according to the lines' own office pages.

How much does FCL shipping to or from Belgium cost?

On Busan to Antwerpen, our quotes for a 40HC container ran 3,040 to 5,740 USD all-in, median 4,145 USD (31 Oct 2026). Prices change weekly; request a current quote.

How to choose a freight forwarder in Belgium?

How good is logistics in Belgium?

Belgium scores 4.0 of 5 on the World Bank LPI 2022, 7th of 169. Every LPI component is at or above the world median; logistics competence leads.

Which airports in Belgium handle air freight?

Airports with scheduled service: Brussels Airport (BRU), Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL), Ostend-Bruges International Airport (OST), Antwerp International Airport (Deurne) (ANR), Liège Airport (LGG).