Thousands of US-bound vehicles sit idle at Belgian port as tariffs bite

ANTWERP, Belgium: The Port of Antwerp-Bruges in Belgium is seeing thousands of cars, vans, trucks, and tractors sitting idle as U.S.-bound vehicle exports drop following new tariffs announced by President Donald Trump.

AI Brief

EU car exports to the US fell 15.9% in early 2025 due to US tariffs and global demand decline.
Belgian port operator ICO reports high terminal capacity and industry uncertainty.
Trump plans to raise tariffs to 30% by August 1 unless a US-EU trade deal is reached.

Port figures show a 15.9% fall in new vehicle shipments to the U.S. in the first half of 2025.

Vehicle carrier International Car Operators (ICO) saw a drop of 15% since last year due to U.S. tariffs, said the Managing Director of the Belgian roll-on/roll-off company, Alain Guillemyn, on Friday (July 18).

ICO's terminal at the Belgian port is currently at 80, 85% of its capacity, "which is rather high", said Guillemyn, and linked it to the "uncertainty" created not only by U.S. tariffs, but also to other geopolitical issues and a drop in global demand, he explained.

President Donald Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on EU goods to 30% from August 1, increasing pressure on the bloc to strike a deal.

"Shipping lines are preparing themselves if there would be a higher target to the U.S. to export as much as possible for the end of this month," said Guillemyn, but companies "hope that the U.S. and the EU have a good trade agreement," he added.

Brussels, along with representatives from the auto industry, has spent months trying to persuade Washington to lower its 27.5% tariff on imports of European cars.

Before Trump's tenure, the U.S. had a 2.5% tariff on European-made cars, while the EU had a 10% duty on vehicles imported from the U.S.