In the 2011 first half general cargo handling produced strong growth for Hamburg, with a 15.1 percent increase to 44.7 million tons. During the same period throughput of bulk cargoes was slightly (1.8 percent) down on the 2010 total, with throughput volume totalling 19.4 million tons. Container throughout leapt by 17.4 percent to around 4.3 million TEU (20-feet standard containers). Among the factors generating additional throughput volumes were new or expanded liner services.
Besides other factors, the strategic approach of liner shipping companies in exploiting the benefits of larger ship units for additional growth, on the one hand, and in reaching vessel-sharing as well as slot-charter agreements, on the other, had positive effects on the Port of Hamburg. In the first half, Hamburg was already able to welcome more than ten new liner services. At the same time, larger ship units were increasingly being deployed on new and existing liner services.
Strong development of imports, reaching a total of 37.4 million tons, was mainly responsible for the above-average growth of 11.1 percent. First-half exports reached 26.7 million tons, a 7.1 percent improvement on the same period of the previous year. Reporting at the half-year press conference on container handling in the first six months, Claudia Roller, CEO at Port of Hamburg Marketing, the Port of Hamburg’s marketing organization, pointed out that exports at 21.4 million tons (up 13.9 percent) were only minimally below imports at 22.1 million tons (up 17.7 percent). “With its almost perfectly balanced volumes of exports and imports the Port of Hamburg is an exceedingly attractive port location in Northern Europe for shipping lines and other customers. The throughput figures for the first half of the year are very gratifying and make it clear that the universal port of Hamburg is further enhancing its immense importance for the foreign trade of the Federal Republic of Germany and our neighbouring countries,” emphasized Claudia Roller. Jens Meier, Managing Director of Hamburg Port Authority, is also delighted by the positive trend in throughput figures: “That we continued to invest undiminished in port infrastructure during the crisis is now paying off. On account of steep growth and related challenges to port transport services, we must maintain our rapid expansion.” “Growing throughput makes it absolutely clear that Hamburg as a port and commercial hub must be maintained in its entirety and sustainably developed to cope with the challenges of the future. We are currently working on a port development plan covering the next fifteen years jointly with the HPA, other authorities, port commerce, industry and trade, as well as associations and chambers of commerce. With this initiative for the universal Port of Hamburg we want to create the most optimal framework possible,” explained
Hamburg’s Senator for Economics Frank Horch.
Growth in container handling is attributable to favourable developments in all trades. For instance, Hamburg’s container throughput in traffic with European ports achieved above-average growth of 25.9 percent to 1.2 million TEU. In the first six months the main growth region comprised the container trades with Russia, Poland and the Baltic states, with a 50.5 percent increase to 505,000 TEU. Container throughput with Russia advanced at an above-average rate in the first half, reaching a volume of 276,000 TEU, representing growth of 45 percent. Russia accordingly extended its position as Hamburg’s most significant trading partner for European container services, and its third largest trading partner in worldw
