Cars Pile Up at Port as EU Makers Steer Clear of US

The Port of Antwerp-Bruges has been turned into a giant car park with thousands of cars, vans, lorries and tractors bound for the US sitting idle as manufacturers try to avert the worst of Donald Trump's tariffs.

- Lisa O'Carroll

Port figures show a 15.9% drop in the transport of new passenger cars and vans to the US in the first half of the year compared with the same period last year, with a sharp decline in May – one month after the US president announced his tariffs.

Exports of lorries and what they call "high and heavy equipment" are down by 31.5%. This category includes tractors and construction vehicles, with the fall perhaps reflecting the impact a 25% tariff would have on vehicles that can cost more than $100,000 (£74,000).