In a year that has apparently seen good trade recovery in Europe, the port of Antwerp hit record freight volumes for the fifth straight year in a row in 2017, handling 223.61m tonnes of freight, 4% higher than the year before.

Singapore-headquartered terminal operator PSA International saw a 9.8% increase in volume of containers it handled globally to 74.24m teu last year.

The Port of Antwerp, through its subsidiary Port of Antwerp International (PAI), will invest $10m in Porto do Açu, a privately owned port complex in São João da Barra, in the northern part of Rio de Janeiro State, in Brazil.

Belgium’s Antwerp port has engaged technology firm T-Mining to work on a pilot project using blockchain technology to make container handling at the port more efficient and secure.

Belgium’s Antwerp Port Authority has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Chinese port of Caofeidian, with the collaboration forming part of China’s ambitious One Belt One Road (OBOR) project.

Aegean NWE, marine fuels supplier in the Northwest European region of Aegean Marine Petroleum Group, has made available the supply of ultra-low sulphur fuel oil (ULSFO) in the Antwerp-Rotterdam-Amsterdam (ARA) port region including Zeebrugge.

Bunker supplier and trader Bomin Group has expanded its physical operations in the ARA (Amsterdam-Rotterdam-Antwerp) port region by time chartering two new bunker tankers.

Belgium’s port of Antwerp will close 2016 with container throughput above 10m teu for the first time in the history of the port, according to Antwerp Port Authority.

UAE’s Gulf Petrochem Group announced on Wednesday that it has commenced physical bunker supply operations in Belgium’s Antwerp port, reflecting the company’s expansion into the European market.

Iran's Shahid Rajaee Port Authority, which controls Bandar Abbas port, and Belgium's Antwerp Port Authority have signed a memorandum of understanding to further develop trade between the two regions.