STORY: 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.

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.

DESCRIPCIÓN DE IMÁGENES

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

VIDEO SHOWS: DRONE SHOTS SHOWING THOUSANDS OF CARS IN THE PORT OF ANTWERP-BRUGES / INTERVIEW WITH THE MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL CAR OPERATORS (ICO), ALAIN GUILLEMYN

RESENDING WITH COMPLETE SCRIPT

SHOWS: ZEEBRUGGE, BELGIUM (JULY 18, 2025) (REUTERS - Access all)

1. VARIOUS OF DRONES SHOTS OF VEHICLES PARKED IN ANTWERP-BRUGES PORT (MUTE)

2. VARIOUS OF VEHICLES PARKED IN ANTWERP-BRUGES PORT

3. SHIP DOCKED AT ANTWERP-BRUGES PORT TERMINAL

4. TRUCK CARRYING VEHICLES DRIVING THROUGH TERMINAL

5. INTERNATIONAL CAR OPERATORS (ICO) HEADQUARTER IN ANTWERP-BRUGES PORT

6. MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL CAR OPERATORS (ICO), ALAIN GUILLEMYN, STANDING

7. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL CAR OPERATORS (ICO), ALAIN GUILLEMYN, SAYING:

"What you see here is a terminal that is with an occupation around 80, 85%, which is rather high. But the reasons there too are very different. It has to do with geopolitics, it has to do with tariffs, it has to do with a lot of elements, also a changing dealership relationship, which creates a demand, in fact, for additional capacity on the terminal."

8. CARS UNLOADING FROM SHIP

9. VARIOUS OF VEHICLES PARKED AT TERMINAL

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL CAR OPERATORS (ICO), ALAIN GUILLEMYN, SAYING:

"So, ICO processes last year, 2.3 million cars, of which around 800,000 are for export. And of that 800,000, 121,000 go to the U.S. So of that 121,000 cars to the U.S., we see versus today a drop of 15%. So this is more or less the impact, probably, that U.S. tariffs have on the export to the U.S."

11. VARIOUS OF VEHICLES PARKED AT TERMINAL

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL CAR OPERATORS (ICO), ALAIN GUILLEMYN, SAYING:

"Today that creates a little bit of uncertainty, not a little bit, but uncertainty in the market. So what happens is that before August 1, the brands, the makes (car manufacturers), are looking at what will happen, and so they pause a little bit, the cars on the terminal today towards the U.S., except for those who are sold, of course, and this has to be exported. But they hope, they hope that the U.S. and the EU have a good trade agreement."

13. CARS UNLOADING FROM SHIP

14. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MANAGING DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL CAR OPERATORS (ICO), ALAIN GUILLEMYN, SAYING:

"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. So yeah, it's a little bit unclear; it really isn't clear that we cannot predict anything at this moment."

15. GUILLEMYN SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST

16. VEHICLES PARKED IN TERMINAL

17. ANTWERP-BRUGES PORT