• 2017 August 16 15:02

    Port of Hamburg cargo throughput down 0.2% in H1 2017

    At 70 million tons, first-half seaborne cargo throughput in Hamburg in 2017, including the general and bulk cargo segments, all but matched the previous year’s, being only one-fifth of one percent (0.2%) lower, the company announces in its press release. In the first six months of 2017 containerized general cargo throughput at 4.45 million TEU (20-ft standard containers) was at the previous year’s level. up by one percent at 23.5 million tons, bulk cargo throughput in Germany’s largest universal port continued to grow.

    ‘In the first half of 2017 the Port of Hamburg generally succeeded in asserting itself in a difficult environment, producing a stable result compared to other German ports in the North Range,’ said Axel Mattern, Joint CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing.

    Mattern stressed that container volumes in Hamburg are based on a very differing throughput trend for Hamburg’s two major container terminal operators in the first half. ‘Here one company was able to profit considerably better than the other from the very extensive changes so far implemented on container liner services. These caused shifts in market shares in Hamburg. Alterations in shipping company alliances and schedules often make an impact on throughput volumes and container terminal utilization in the ports. In addition, fresh container handling capacities in the Western ports being put on the market for the first time cause volume increases as they come on stream, and then at the expense of other ports make a one-time impact reflected in their first-half results,’ added Mattern.

    Other factors, however, also had an influence on the volume trend for Hamburg’s container throughput in the first half. For example, the still not implemented adjustment of the navigation channel on Outer and Lower Elbe, as well as delays currently occurring in Customs clearance of imports, is causing a noticeable quantity of freight to find its way via other ports in the North Range.

    ‘That is also most regrettable from the Hamburg angle, since had background conditions been better, a substantially more positive throughput balance for the first half would have been feasible. In the light of the throughput trend at non-German ports in the North Range, that once again clearly illustrates the urgent need to strengthen the Port of Hamburg’s competitiveness and performance,’ emphasized Mattern. 

    In the first six months of 2017 container throughput at 4.45 million TEU (20-ft standard containers) was at the previous year’s level. Throughput of loaded boxes at 3.8 million TEU (up 0.3 percent) reflected a positive trend. By contrast, handling of empty containers was 3.2 percent lower at 622,000 TEU. ‘That shipping companies tend to route empty boxes for weight reasons via other ports is partly because with the adjustment of the Elbe fairway still not implemented, mega-containerships still cannot be optimally loaded if calling at Hamburg. Once the channel is dredged, mega-ships will be able to bring additional 1,600 and more containers (TEU) to Hamburg and take that many again on departure’, said Mattern. These cargo capacities cannot at present be fully used by particularly large ships calling at Hamburg. ‘Against this background, it is gratifying that the upward trend in container transport with China is being maintained. Especially large containerships are deployed on this, and 1.3 million TEU represented a 1.3 percent gain. Also on the up and up is Russia, the Port of Hamburg’s second most important market after China, with 225,000 TEU constituting a four percent advance despite the sanctions that remain in place unchanged,’ said Mattern. In tough competition with other ports, container trades within Europe reached 1.3 million TEU, up by 1.3 percent. Here the main contributors to growth were the Baltic trades with countries such as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, achieving a 12.9 percent advance to 255,000 TEU.

    ‘It is very interesting to see that the Port of Hamburg’s ten leading container trade partners, accounting for around 60 percent of its container handling with 2.7 million TEU, recorded a 3.5 percent downturn, whereas the other countries achieved 5.3 percent growth to 1.8 million TEU. Vietnam was one of these, attracting attention with double-digit growth; as a marketing organization, we are focussing especially on the country by arranging delegation trips and cultivating the market there,’ explained Mattern. 

    With bulk cargo handling in Hamburg, totalling 23.5 million tons and up by 1.0 percent in the first half, trends for imports and exports differed. On the import side, a first-half total of 16.8 million tons meant a 1.3 percent downturn. Among exports, bulk cargo throughput was very strong at 6.7 million tons, up by 7.4 percent. The fall in imports was caused by a 10.3 percent drop in throughput of suctions goods to 1.9 million tons, and one of 9.5 percent to 4.9 million tons in throughput of liquid cargoes. Among the reasons were above-average throughput volumes there in the comparable period the previous year, which in the first half of 2017 again settled down at a normal level. Up by 5.6 percent at 10.0 million tons, in the first half the grab cargo segment remained the Port of Hamburg’s strongest bulk cargo handling area. Imports of coal & coke at 3.9 million tons (up 7.4 percent) and of ore at 5.2 million tons (up 4.0 percent) were above the previous year’s. Steeper demand from power stations and the steel industry caused the higher throughput. At 6.7 million tons (up 7.4 percent), bulk cargo exports developed positively. Trends differed in the various segments. A harvest-related fall in grain exports, down 8.9 percent at 1.9 million tons, pushed these below the previous year’s total. Export throughput was higher for liquid cargoes, up 27.5 percent at 2.2 million tons, and for the grab cargo segment, 8.5 percent ahead at 2.0 million tons. 

    First-half non-containerized general cargo throughput, of plant elements and wheeled cargoes for example, remained below the previous year’s, being down 11.7 percent at 720,000 tons. On the import side, down by 0.8 percent at 271,000 tons, growing throughput in the form of paper and metals imports failed to offset slight downturns for timber, citrus fruit and vehicles. Despatches of conventional general cargoes were down 17.2 percent at 449,000 tons, the mainly cause being lower exports of vehicles and steel.  The Port of Hamburg’s half-annual press conference was held at Aurubis, the largest copper smelter in Europe. Ingo Egloff and Axel Mattern, Port of Hamburg Marketing’s joint CEOs, made special mention of the port’s significance for industry throughout the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.

    Germany’s third largest industrial region profits from an efficient port with excellent worldwide links. With a land area of 7,200 hectares, arithmetically one-tenth of the entire area of the city, with its function as a logistics cargo hub for seaborne foreign trade the Port of Hamburg is also Hamburg’s largest industrial zone. ‘Currently industry uses 926 hectares in the Port of Hamburg. That is around 22 percent of the land area of the port,’ said Ingo Egloff, joint CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing. ‘The proximity to water sufficiently deep for ocean-going vessels is advantageous for such industrial concerns as steelworks, refineries and power stations, owing to the short distances involved in cargo handling and processing large quantities of raw materials,’ added Egloff. Excellent transport links on both land and water and shore transport infrastructure also offer companies exporting or importing in quantity, or taking deliveries for their production from Germany and elsewhere, a mass of advantages. 

    The Port of Hamburg is Germany’s largest universal port and guarantees more than 155,000 jobs in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. The port is also an important industrial base, and with added value totalling 21.8 billion euros, it is of immense importance for the entire German national economy. For the whole of 2017, the Port of Hamburg’s marketing organization reckons with seaborne cargo handling of 138 million tons and container throughput of around 8.9 million TEU.




2024 March 28

18:05 Jan De Nul, ENGIE and Equans launch a pilot project centred around the use of Vanadium Redox Flow batteries
17:35 Latvian port equipment manufacturer Bleste introduces new bulk handling ‘bucket’
17:05 Investors upgrade Navios Maritime Partners
16:25 DEME reports 22% increase in the orderbook and a record-high turnover of 3.3 billion euros in 2023
16:14 MABUX: Bunker Outlook, Week 13, 2024
15:41 AD Ports Group announced the opening of Saadiyat Marina & Ferry Terminal and Rabdan Marina
15:11 Sydney invests $11.5 million in two new operational vessels designed by Incat Crowther
14:55 China’s Jinzhao wins Peru $405m port construction contract
14:13 APM Terminals Moín handled six million TEU
13:48 ClassNK grants Innovation Endorsements for Products & Solutions to two innovative initiatives by MOL
13:37 Konecranes launches its flagship Konecranes X-series industrial crane
12:53 United European Car Carriers UECC spearheads collaboration with industry leaders to advance CNSL as a sustainable marine fuel
12:26 Ocean Network Express announces Transpacific service
11:48 Yang Ming announces 2025 Trans-Pacific service network
11:24 Fincantieri signs contract for the supply of two PPAs to Indonesia
10:42 Maersk transported more than 660,000 TEU using clean fuel in 2023
10:23 Documentation delays push industry costs to $3bn
09:48 PONANT and FARWIND Energy partner to develop green hydrogen refueling solutions

2024 March 27

18:22 Bureau Veritas awards world’s first prototype certification for SolarDuck’s floating offshore solar solution
17:58 The recently converted Allseas's shallow water pipelay barge starts preparations for its first commercial project
17:38 The Port of Rotterdam calls on the European Commission and Parliament to focus on actively promoting green energy
15:23 SEFE to become sole shareholder of WIGA
14:53 Ocean Installer secures yet another SLM contract with Equinor
14:23 Cadeler signs offshore wind turbine installation contract for the vessel Wind Scylla
13:42 Carnival Cruise Line orders 5th Excel-class cruise ship
13:11 Maersk and MSC overcharging cargo owners for EU ETS, says T&E
12:52 The Port Authority of Valencia launches the ZAL project in the Port of Valencia
12:11 Clarkson Port Services and Peak Group collaborate to deliver Port Agency services across the North Sea
11:42 Wan Hai Lines holds ship naming ceremony for new vessels
11:24 Consolidated shipping lines EBIT loss was $1.44 billion in Q4 2023: Sea-Intelligence
10:49 Seaspan Shipyards receives long-term contracts for the pre-construction work of the the Canadian Coast Guard's first six multi-mission vessels
10:14 Woodside completes sale of 10% scarborough interest

2024 March 26

18:02 COSCO Shipping Lines introduces new Americas service
17:30 Davie awarded first contract for design of icebreaker fleet under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy
17:04 Sanctions complicate Arctic LNG ship sales, Hanwha Ocean says - Bloomberg
16:57 Terntank places an order for 1+1 additional wind/ methanol-ready hybrid tanker
16:28 BW LNG completes acquisition of two TFDE vessels from Stena Bulk
15:50 Hanwha Ocean develops VR-based special vehicle simulator
15:20 TotalEnergies and SINOPEC join forces to produce sustainable jet fuel at a SINOPEC's refinery
14:52 Wärtsilä Lifecycle Agreement to guarantee operational reliability of new wind farm installation vessel
14:23 Hudong-Zhonghua launches two LNG carriers
13:51 Cargo ship hits Baltimore’s Key Bridge
13:12 Final sanctioned tanker with Russian Sokol oil to reach China port - Reuters
12:42 Adani Ports acquires 95% of Odisha's Gopalpur Port from SP Group for $162 million
12:21 IHI and Yara Clean Ammonia agree to jointly assess clean ammonia business collaboration
11:41 Yara Clean Ammonia and Azane granted safety permit to build world's first low emission ammonia bunkering terminal
11:16 Wartsila and Royal Caribbean Group celebrate 15 years of collaboration on digital transformation
10:46 A global carbon tax on shipping is coming, says ABS Chairman and CEO
10:21 Eni, Fincantieri and RINA establish partnership for maritime transport decarbonization

2024 March 25

18:07 The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore continues to investigate reports of oil spills off the port of Tuas
17:31 “K” Line, NIPPON HAKUYO and OPT Gate sign an agreement for a new fire detection system for car carriers
17:07 Greek merchant fleet recorded slight decline in January 2024
16:47 Hanwha Ocean Plans to develop green technology and naval ships
16:25 U-Ming Singapore and ITOCHU sign milestone MoU for the joint development of ammonia dual-fuel and de-carbonized vessels
15:34 Svitzer targets methanol-fuelled MAN 175DF-M engine for tug application
15:04 Wallenius Wilhelmsen signs contracts for four 9,300 CEU vessels with China Merchants Jinling Shipyard
14:40 Taiwan International Port to upgrade terminal facility at Kaohsiung
13:59 Сruise ship Carnival Freedom catches fire near Bahamas
12:59 Hanwha Ocean wins 2.4 tln-won order for 8 LNG ships
11:16 Inland Ports meet in Paris to talk about the innovation potential of inland ports
10:50 IMO agrees possible outline for maritime “net-zero framework”
10:24 Hapag-Lloyd to continue to avoid the Red Sea route
09:58 QatarEnergy enters time charter agreements with Nakilat for the operation of 25 LNG vessels

2024 March 24

16:18 Inchgreen Marine Park upgraded as part of £11m investment
15:14 A ribbon-cutting ceremony for Solent Rail Terminal Rail was held at the Port of Southampton
14:08 ESNA and Strategic Marine join forces to offer Surface Effect Ship (“SES”) Crew Transfer Vessels (“CTV”) to the market
13:07 First LNG powered vessel calls at HIP
12:49 Inter-array cable installation completed at Neart na Gaoithe offshore wind farm
11:32 Equinor ASA posts net income at USD 11.9 billion in 2023
09:25 Edda Wind announces the sale of Edda Passat