The works for the overall expansion were carried out between 1972 and 1985 and included the construction of:

- the outer port: built in the sea and protected by means of two longitudinal embankments with a length of 4 km, accessible without locks for large sea-going vessels. Because of the direct entrance from the sea and the large water depth in the navigation channel and along the quay walls (up to Z - 16 m), the outer port is very suitable for fast container traffic and ro-ro traffic;

- the Pierre Vandamme lock (500 m long, 57 m wide and with a useful water depth up to
18.50 m), which provides entrance to

- the inner port of Zeebrugge, that is equipped with two large docks:
the Northern Inlet dock (with a water depth up to 14 m) and the South Canal Dock (up to 18.5 m deep). The quay grounds around these docks are equipped with various terminals for the handling of new cars, conventional general cargo, ‘high & heavy’ cargoes and containers, as well as for storage and distribution.

The new port of Brugge-Zeebrugge was inaugurated by H.M. King Baudouin I on 20 July 1985.