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2025-11-18

Arrival of MSC San Francisco in Zeebrugge
Arrival of MSC San Francisco in Zeebrugge

Zeebrugge welcomes new record: MSC San Francisco reaches 16.80 metres draft

The port of Zeebrugge recorded a new draft milestone on Tuesday 18 November. The container vessel MSC San Francisco moored at CSP Zeebrugge with a draft of 16.80 metres, the deepest ever registered in the port. This surpasses the previous records set earlier this year by MSC Olivia and MSC Mina.

Anchor points

  • New draft record in the port of Zeebrugge with the arrival of MSC San Francisco
  • Arrival with an exceptional 16.80-metre draft at CSP Zeebrugge
  • Port of Antwerp-Bruges confirms its position as a fully capable deep-sea port for megaships

The MSC San Francisco operates on the LION service, a direct connection from the Far East with calls in Zeebrugge and subsequently Antwerp. The vessel arrived from Colombo (Sri Lanka) and has a capacity of 16,196 TEU, a length of 366 metres and a beam of 51.09 metres.

This record call illustrates the maritime expertise and operational capability of the port of Zeebrugge. Thanks to continuous investments in infrastructure and nautical accessibility, the port remains well equipped to safely and efficiently accommodate vessels with significant draft.

Marc Beerlandt, CEO MSC BELGIUM: “With the new draught record set by MSC SAN FRANCISCO in Zeebrugge, we are once again taking a powerful step forward for Belgium and our customers. This achievement confirms the appeal of our ports for the largest vessels and reinforces the reliability of the logistics chain. Once again, we are very proud of this milestone and would like to express our gratitude to the pilotage service, Maritime Services and Coast (MDK) and the Port of Antwerp-Bruges for their partnership in achieving this fantastic result.”
Dirk De fauw, mayor of Brugge and vice-president Port of Antwerp-Bruges: “

This new draft record is a remarkable moment for our port and for the city. Once again, it shows what we can achieve thanks to the close cooperation between all partners in the nautical chain. I would like to sincerely thank everyone — from pilots to traffic controllers, shipping lines and terminal operators — for their dedication. Together, we continue to put Zeebrugge on the map as a reliable and high-performing gateway to Europe.

”
Nancy Van Osselaer, Commercial Manager CSP Zeebrugge: “

Improving the draft record in Zeebrugge with the MSC San Francisco once again confirms that our coastal port can receive the largest vessels. We are extremely proud of this achievement and thank the Pilotage, Maritime and Coastal Services Agency (MDK), and Port of Antwerp-Bruges for making this possible in close cooperation with CSP Zeebrugge.

”
Nathalie Balcaen, Administrator-General of the Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services (MDK): “

These records reflect the ambition of the port to welcome the largest ships and to continue growing. At MDK, we want to be a partner in this ambition by providing the expertise of our pilots and vessel traffic services.

”

 

For press inquiries, contact:

press@portofantwerpbruges.com
+32 492 15 41 39

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About Port of Antwerp-Bruges

With an annual throughput of 278 million tonnes, Port of Antwerp-Bruges is a world port in the heart of Europe. The port is a unique ecosystem of maritime throughput, logistics and industry, and is home to Europe’s largest integrated chemical cluster. As a hub for containers, general cargo and vehicles, and home to over 1,400 companies, it accounts for around 164,000 direct and indirect jobs and 21 billion euros in added value. This makes it Belgium’s most important economic engine.

Port of Antwerp-Bruges aims to become the first world port that reconciles economy, people and climate. The Antwerp-Bruges Port Authority, a limited liability company of public law, manages the port platforms of Antwerp and Zeebrugge. The cities of Antwerp and Bruges are the shareholders. Jacques Vandermeiren is CEO, Johan Klaps (Vice-Mayor of Antwerp) is President of the Board of Directors, and Dirk De fauw (Mayor of Bruges) is Vice-President.