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You need a reliable way to programmatically check port congestion for Antwerp so your transportation workflows can throttle arrivals, set expectations with operations, and notify stakeholders. By the end of this post, you will be able to query Antwerp’s congestion via a single HTTP GET, parse the results in Python, and integrate them into your scheduling, visibility, or exception-handling pipelines.

Scope, data source, and what “congestion” means here

This guide focuses on Antwerp (locode BEANR) and shows how to read congestion metrics from the FreightPulse Transportation API. The endpoint draws from IMF PortWatch and is lagged by roughly 6–7 days; it is updated daily but is not live AIS wait-time data.

Illustration: API to Check Congestion at Antwerp

The reported congestion level is derived from the last 7 days’ average port calls versus a 90‑day baseline for the same port. It’s an approximation designed for macro congestion signals. It does not measure anchorage or berth waiting times and should not be used as a live vessel queue estimate.

Key facts you need before you code

For API reference details beyond this post, see the Documentation.

The endpoint you will call

HTTP method and path:

Base URL:

Auth header:

Antwerp’s parameter is BEANR (without a space). In the response, you may also see the locode written as “BE ANR” (with a space) as an attribute; both refer to Antwerp.

Quick test with curl

Copy and run this from your terminal. Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your key if you have one. Without a key, you can still make up to 100 requests per day per IP as a guest.

curl -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" "https://freightpulsehq.com/api/v1/port-congestion?port=BEANR"

Response format and fields you will read

The API wraps data inside a JSON envelope with success and data keys. Below is the official Antwerp sample response you should use to align your data model and parsing logic:

{
"success": true,
"data": {
"results": [
{
"port": "Antwerp",
"locode": "BE ANR",
"country": "Belgium",
"congestion": "moderate",
"as_of": "2026-10-16",
"metrics": {
"recent_avg_portcalls_per_day": 57.7,
"baseline_avg_portcalls_per_day": 53.7,
"ratio_vs_baseline": 1.07
}
}
],
"global_summary": {
"ports_high_congestion": 0,
"ports_moderate": 1,
"ports_low": 0
},
"meta": {
"source": "IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org) - UN Global Platform AIS data",
"data_lag_days": "~6-7 (daily updates, not real-time)",
"methodology": "congestion level is an approximation: last 7 days' avg port calls vs 90-day baseline for the same port. Does not measure vessel wait/anchorage time."
}
},
"meta": {
"request_id": "c2d81ca9-06ed-4d32-954e-b789339e6e62"
}
}

The minimum fields most transportation apps use:

Additional context you can optionally surface:

Python: call Antwerp congestion and parse the fields

The snippet below fetches Antwerp’s congestion, extracts congestion, ratio_vs_baseline, and as_of, and shows how you might set thresholds for alerts in transportation scheduling or ETA buffers.

Dependencies

Code

import os
import sys
import time
import json
import requests

API_URL = "https://freightpulsehq.com/api/v1/port-congestion"
PORT_CODE = "BEANR" # Antwerp
API_KEY = os.environ.get("FREIGHTPULSE_API_KEY", "YOUR_API_KEY")

def fetch_antwerp_congestion(session=None, timeout=15):
s = session or requests.Session()
headers = {
"X-API-Key": API_KEY
}
params = {
"port": PORT_CODE
}
resp = s.get(API_URL, headers=headers, params=params, timeout=timeout)
# Basic transport layer checks
resp.raise_for_status()
payload = resp.json()

# Envelope per API: {"success": true, "data": {...}}
if not payload.get("success", False):
raise RuntimeError("API returned success=false")

data = payload.get("data", {})
results = data.get("results", [])
if not results:
raise ValueError("No results for port BEANR")

antwerp = results[0]
congestion_level = antwerp.get("congestion")
as_of = antwerp.get("as_of")
metrics = antwerp.get("metrics", {})
ratio_vs_baseline = metrics.get("ratio_vs_baseline")

# Minimal validation
if congestion_level is None or ratio_vs_baseline is None or as_of is None:
raise KeyError("Missing expected fields: congestion, ratio_vs_baseline, or as_of")

return {
"congestion": congestion_level,
"ratio_vs_baseline": ratio_vs_baseline,
"as_of": as_of,
# Optional extras
"recent_avg_portcalls_per_day": metrics.get("recent_avg_portcalls_per_day"),
"baseline_avg_portcalls_per_day": metrics.get("baseline_avg_portcalls_per_day"),
"locode": antwerp.get("locode"),
"port": antwerp.get("port"),
"country": antwerp.get("country")
}

def recommend_eta_buffer(ratio):
# Example policy: bump buffers as congestion rises above baseline
if ratio is None:
return 0
if ratio < 0.9:
return 0 # below baseline
if ratio < 1.05:
return 15 # minutes
if ratio < 1.15:
return 30
return 45

if __name__ == "__main__":
try:
result = fetch_antwerp_congestion()
print("Antwerp congestion:", result["congestion"])
print("As of:", result["as_of"])
print("Ratio vs baseline:", result["ratio_vs_baseline"])
buffer_min = recommend_eta_buffer(result["ratio_vs_baseline"])
print("Suggested ETA buffer (min):", buffer_min)
except Exception as e:
print("Error:", e, file=sys.stderr)
sys.exit(1)

This example uses the documented envelope and reads congestion, ratio_vs_baseline, and as_of. It avoids assuming real-time updates and instead calculates a conservative buffer based on the ratio.

Implementation details that will save you time

Using the congestion metric in transportation workflows

For Antwerp-focused operations, the categorical congestion plus the ratio_vs_baseline provides a compact control signal you can wire into:

Because the metric is lagged, it complements but does not replace live vessel tracking for day‑of decisions. Treat it as a macro congestion backdrop at Antwerp.

Validation, pitfalls, and guardrails

Operationalizing for Antwerp

Below is a minimal architecture to productionize Antwerp congestion checks in a transportation environment:

Keep the data lineage explicit: “Source: IMF PortWatch (lagged ~6–7 days). Not live AIS wait times.” This prevents false expectations in operations review meetings.

End-to-end test checklist

Frequently asked questions

Q: Is this live AIS wait-time data for Antwerp?
A: No. It is derived from IMF PortWatch with an approximate 6–7 day lag and updated daily. It is not a measurement of anchorage or berth waiting times.

Q: What is the authentication scheme?
A: Send X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY. Guests without a key are allowed 100 requests per day per IP.

Q: Which fields should I store for Antwerp?
A: congestion (string), metrics.ratio_vs_baseline (number), as_of (date), and optionally the recent/baseline averages for port calls. Persist by as_of to build a historical time series.

Q: What port code should I use in the query?
A: Use BEANR as the port parameter. In responses, the locode may display as “BE ANR”; normalize to your preferred key.

Q: Can I use this to quote freight rates or today’s prices?
A: No. This endpoint does not provide freight rates and should not be used to quote a USD fare as today’s price.

Ready to integrate Antwerp’s congestion signal into your transportation stack? Create an account and get an API key here: Register. For reference details and field descriptions, see the Documentation.