The European Commission has approved almost €2.8 billion in funding for 94 transport projects under the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) programme, which focuses on upgrading rail infrastructure in EU Member States. Neptune Logistics, which is actively expanding its activities in Europe, views the newly opened investment flows as strategic opportunities to develop its own multimodal services and logistics network.
Dutch shipping company WEC Lines is launching a new seven-day sea route calling at key ports in North-West Europe and Ireland. The voyage will be operated by an 868 TEU vessel, departing Zeebrugge, Belgium, on Thursdays, arriving in Dublin on Sundays and calling at Le Havre, France, on Wednesdays. The full cycle takes exactly one week.
The Port of Gdansk Authority has announced a tender for the lease of an investment plot of 3.3 hectares located at Kontenerowa Street, close to the Baltic Hub container terminal, the largest in the Baltic. The plot is fully prepared for operations: reinforced concrete slabs have been laid on a compacted base, which allows for operations to begin without significant initial investments.
Belgium’s sovereign wealth fund SFPIM is providing rail operator Lineas with €61 million to help it weather the economic downturn in early 2025. The decision comes amid a general decline in volumes in the steel, chemical and automotive sectors in Europe. The funding will enable Lineas to remain resilient, continue to serve key industries and play an important role in the decarbonization of freight transport.
Over the past 12 months, the supply of container capacity on routes within Northern Europe has increased by 43,000 TEU, with Maersk accounting for 70% of this increase, Alphaliner reports. In July 2025, the total capacity of vessels in this market was 17% higher than a year earlier, due to an increase in both the number of vessels (+5%) and their average capacity (+22%).
In the first half of 2025 (January-June), Ukrainian seaports handled 96,298 TEU, the Association of International Freight Forwarders of Ukraine (AMEU) reports. Despite military actions, shelling and global logistical challenges, container turnover continues to grow.
In the first half of 2025, the port of Antwerp-Bruges handled 137.2 million tonnes of cargo, down 4.3% compared to the same period last year. The decline was mainly due to a drop in bulk and dry bulk volumes, especially coal, oil, liquefied natural gas and construction materials. At the same time, the container segment showed growth: transshipment increased by 3.6% in tonnage and 3.7% in TEU, reaching 77 million tonnes and 6.91 million TEU, respectively. RoRo volumes also increased by 1.4%.
In the first half of 2025, the Port of Rotterdam showed stable financial results against the backdrop of a 4.1% decline in total cargo throughput. At the same time, container throughput in TEU increased by 2.7%, despite a 1% decline in tonnage due to an increase in the share of empty export containers. Port charges increased by 5.4%, and EBITDA reached €295 million (+1.1%). Investments decreased by 17% to €136.1 million, mainly due to project delays and the absence of last year’s purchase of nitrogen emission rights. Nevertheless, the Port of Rotterdam Authority continues to actively support sustainable development, including through the CCS Porthos project and the launch of shore power for cruise ships.
According to S&P Global data for June 2025, the eurozone private sector is showing a fragile recovery: the composite PMI rose to 50.6, indicating moderate growth. Domestic services remain the main driver, while the manufacturing sector continues to come under pressure amid weak external demand.
The Rhenus Group has become the leader of the new Rhône Modal Shift consortium, which has been awarded a 25-year concession to manage France’s key river ports of Vienne-Sud and Port-lès-Valence. The project is supported by the French state and CNR and aims to develop multimodal transport in the Rhône Valley, including doubling the volume of freight by river and rail by 2032.
