Zeebrugge (Dutch: Zeebrugge, French: Zeebruges, meaning "Brugge aan Zee"[1] or "Bruges on Sea"[2]) is a village on the coast of Belgium and a subdivision of Bruges, for which it is the modern port. Zeebrugge serves as both the international port of Bruges-Zeebrugge and a seafront resort with hotels, cafés, a marina and a beach.
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Located on the coast of the North Sea, the busiest sea in the world,[3] its central location on the Belgian coast, short distance to Great Britain and close vicinity to densely populated industrialized cities make Zeebrugge a crossroads for traffic from all directions. An expressway to Bruges connects Zeebrugge to the European motorway system; one can also get to and from Zeebrugge by train or tram.
It is Belgium's most important fishing port[4][5] and the wholesale fish market located there is one of the largest in Europe.
Aside from being a passenger terminal with ferries to the United Kingdom, the harbour serves as the central port for Europe's automotive industry and is important for the import, handling and storage of energy products, agriculture products and other general cargo. Zeebrugge has the largest LNG terminal complex in Europe.[6]
The harbour was the site of the Zeebrugge Raid on 23 April 1918, when the British Royal Navy put the German inland naval base at Bruges out of action.[7] Admiral Roger Keyes planned and led the assault that stormed the German batteries and sank the ships in the harbour to block the entrance to the base for the last seven months of World War I.
Later, Zeebrugge's harbour was the scene of disaster when in 1987 the MS Herald of Free Enterprise passenger ferry capsized killing 193 people.[8]
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