By Peter A. Buxbaum, AJOT Growth in cargo volumes at the port of Hamburg, Germany, provide strong evidence that it has put the “crisis year” of 2009 behind it. The first half of 2010 showed an eight percent growth of total cargo handling, with increases demonstrated across the board. Imports reached a total of 33.7 million tons making for growth of 12.3 percent over the same period in 2009, according to numbers provided by Port of Hamburg Marketing, the marketing organization of the Port of Hamburg. Exports reached 24.9 million tons, for an increase of 2.9 percent compared to the previous year. General cargo increased five percent to 38.8 million tons while the handling of bulk cargo spiked 14.8 percent to 19.7 million tons. Container traffic, which had been hit especially hard in 2009, reached 3.7 million TEU in the first half of 2010, for an increase of 4.3 percent. Container traffic with the Americas grew by 11.6 percent; with Asia by 6.9 percent; and with African countries by 14.7 percent. The June container figures are especially encouraging: an increase of 16.5 percent over May brought container volumes in the port of Hamburg close to 2008 levels. General cargo handled in Hamburg is about 97 percent containerized. “The growth in the handling of containers on the Asia shipping route is very important to Hamburg,” said Jens Meier, managing director of the Hamburg Port Authority. “China is by far the most important market partner of the port of Hamburg. This trade is again on a considerable growth curve.” Increases in bulk cargo are largely attributable to increases in the shipments of iron ore, which grew by 243 percent over the lean 2009 volumes. Agribulk and liquid bulk cargoes shrank during the first half of 2010. Overall, Port of Hamburg Marketing projects total cargo handling for the Port of Hamburg for 2010 of 119 million tons, for a growth rate of 8 percent. Handling of containers will reach 7.7 million TEU, to grow at a 9-percent clip. Two of the factors contributing to Hamburg’s handsome performance thus far this year include increases in volumes transiting the port via rail, attributable to new investments which continued during 2009, as well as increases in transshipment services through the port. Both of these developments cemented Hamburg’s reputation as a leading Northern European cargo hub. About 14 percent of all rail-borne freight traffic in Germany originates or terminates at the Port of Hamburg. In 2008, the port railway moved 1.8 million TEU, 18.5 percent of 9.7 million TEU put through the port. During 2009, that proportion stood at 22.5 percent: 1.6 million TEU out of a total of 7.1 million TEU. “The port railway has proven a reliable performer in the Port of Hamburg,” said Meier. “Even in the crisis year of 2009, we managed to increase our share of transport volumes not only within the port of Hamburg, but compared with the other north range ports, too. The good connections into the southern, eastern and southeastern European hinterland ensure that rail freight handling volumes [for 2010] are on track to reach the record levels of 2008. This confirms that our strategy for investments in the port railway paid off.” The economic upturn this year has benefited the port railway. “Even though the total volumes handled in the port of Hamburg will not quite reach 2008 levels,” said Meier, “the port railway is on the way to repeat the success of the record year. The impact of our investments can be felt. In the past two years, we eliminated the bottlenecks.” Since 2008, the Hamburg Port Authority has invested 64 million euros in maintaining and optimizing facilities, from tracks and switches to control systems. The German federal government implemented an economic stimulus program in 2009 which targeted infrastructure development, 16 million euros of which found their way to the port of Hamburg. “The projects submitted for approval were implemented fast and efficiently,” said Meier. “These investments have benefi