Pilot work-to-rule and national strike disrupt Port of Antwerp-Bruges

Started

2025-10-05 (5 October 2025)

Ended

2025-10-20 (20 October 2025)

Status

ended

Type

Labour action

Severity

2 Moderate

Scope

port

Chokepoints

None

Ports

Antwerp, Zeebrugge, Ghent

Lanes

None

Countries

Belgium

Confidence

medium: The dates and queue figures rest on four consistent trade press reports that relay the port's own updates, while the port's original crisis update pages are no longer online and could not be archived; the port's annual results confirm industrial action in 2025 but give no figure for these days alone.

First reported

2025-10-07 (7 October 2025)

• Severity basis: Pilotage at Antwerp and Zeebrugge was restricted from 2025-10-05, vessel movements at Antwerp stopped on the national strike day of 2025-10-14, and more than 180 vessels were backlogged on 2025-10-15; no measured port effect has been computed yet, so level 2 is provisional.

1. 2025-10-05Pilots begin an open ended work-to-rule. Pilots are assigned only from 08:00 to 17:00, and the port says ships can be staffed from 10:00 at the earliest. [s1] [s2]
2. 2025-10-07The port reports continuing congestion, with 54 ships at Antwerp that have no pilot scheduled and 32 that are delayed. It warns of severe disruption to arrivals and departures in the coming days. [s1] [s2]
3. 2025-10-14A national strike called by public sector unions closes Antwerp and other Belgian ports to inbound and outbound vessels, because the maritime control centre is short of staff. Activity continues inside the port. [s3]
4. 2025-10-15The pilots suspend their action and ship movements resume. More than 180 vessels are backlogged, 128 inbound and 60 outbound, and the logistics chain runs at about 70 percent of capacity while pilots keep 12-hour rest periods. [s3]
5. 2025-10-20The port says there is no longer congestion for outgoing vessels and the inbound backlog is almost cleared, with 23 vessels still lacking a confirmed schedule and 15 delayed. Zeebrugge is no longer affected. [s4]

No corrections to this record as of 2026-10-29 (29 October 2026).

1. [s1] The Maritime Executive, Shipping Backup as Belgian Pilots Stage Work Slowdown Over Pension Reform, published 2025-10-07 (7 October 2025), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (press)
2. [s2] Shipping Telegraph, Shipping congestion as Belgian pilots strike over federal pension reforms, published 2025-10-08 (8 October 2025), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (press)
3. [s3] The Maritime Executive, Ship Movements Resume at Belgian Ports After Pilots Suspend Job Action, published 2025-10-15 (15 October 2025), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (press)
4. [s4] Fresh Fruit Portal, Congestion clears at Antwerp-Bruges as post-strike operations resume, published 2025-10-20 (20 October 2025), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (press)
5. [s5] Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Port of Antwerp-Bruges ends 2025 with resilience in a turbulent trading climate, published 2026-01-27 (27 January 2026), accessed 2026-10-28. Archived copy. (official)

The address of this record is permanent and a correction is always logged on this page, so a citation names the version you read. Add the date you accessed it.

Plain text

World Freight Monitor. "Pilot work-to-rule and national strike disrupt Port of Antwerp-Bruges." Last updated 2026-10-29 (29 October 2026). https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2025/pilots-work-to-rule-and-national-strike-antwerp-bruges-2025-10/

APA

World Freight Monitor. (2026). Pilot work-to-rule and national strike disrupt Port of Antwerp-Bruges. World Freight Monitor. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2025/pilots-work-to-rule-and-national-strike-antwerp-bruges-2025-10/

BibTeX

@misc{wfm_pilots_work_to_rule_and_national_strike_antwerp_bruges_2025_10,
  author = {{World Freight Monitor}},
  title = {Pilot work-to-rule and national strike disrupt Port of Antwerp-Bruges},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Last updated 2026-10-29},
  url = {https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2025/pilots-work-to-rule-and-national-strike-antwerp-bruges-2025-10/}
}