The port services freight transport between Ostend and Ramsgate, Ipswich and North Killingholme Haven.

[3] As part of the city of Ostend the port was founded in 1584 when the sand dunes were pushed back to create the beginnings of the modern basin.

[4] Twenty years later Ostend had been transformed from a sleepy fishing village into a fortified, moated and important Flemish port.

Ferry services to Dover began in 1846, with Ostend being the hub for the Regie voor Maritiem Transport until 1997.

The City Council, unable to raise sufficient funds for the redevelopment handed control and responsibility for the port over to the Belgian government.