- The bustling Port of Antwerp-Bruges typically ships more than 3 million vehicles each year.
- Come August 1, the US could enact sweeping 30 percent tariffs on European imports.
- Exports from this port to the US have decreased 15.9 percent through the first half of 2025.
Tensions over trade are sending ripples through Europe’s automotive industry, and the effects are becoming increasingly visible. At ports across the continent, thousands of new cars sit idle, waiting to be shipped to the United States.
Automakers are holding out hope that President Donald Trump might scale back, or even cancel, the latest round of sweeping tariffs. So far, though, that hope appears misplaced, and the backlog continues to grow.
Read: The EU Got Too Comfortable Before Trump Made It Uncomfortable
Recent figures show a clear impact. The number of new passenger vehicles exported from Belgium’s Port of Antwerp-Bruges to the US has dropped by 15.9 percent in the first half of this year. As one of the world’s busiest automotive shipping centers, the port handled over 3 million vehicles in 2024 alone, making the decline especially significant.
Now, the port is home to thousands of vehicles from European brands, including BMW, Smart, and others. According to the facility, the outlook for the second half of the year “remains uncertain,” and “will depend on whether a trade agreement between the EU and the US can be reached by 1 August.”
A Sudden Shift in Momentum
Speaking with The Guardian, Justin Atkin, the UK and Irish representative of the port, stated that the tariffs have had an immediate and significant impact on several industries.
“With the pandemic, we had lockdown, then we were out of lockdown, then back into lockdown, and people got used to managing it after being unprepared,” he said. “Whereas here… people have talked about tariffs in the build-up [to Trump] but I don’t think anyone expected the level and the severity of the instantaneous action.”
It’s not just the exportation of cars from the port that has slowed this year. Approximately 31.5 percent less “high and heavy equipment” is being exported to the United States as well, including construction vehicles and tractors.
New Tariffs Loom as Talks Stall
Things may get worse before they get better. Despite weeks of negotiations between the US and the European Union, a new trade deal has yet to be reached. This prompted Trump to announce earlier this week that new 30 percent tariffs will be enforced on the EU from August 1. While this new tariff would be separate from sector-specific tariffs, such as those placed on cars and steel, it threatens to strain global trading relations further and may cause even more cars to start accumulating at major ports.
