The port of Hamburg lured several container feeder services from Rotterdam, stemming a year-long loss of market share to its north European rivals.
HHLA, Hamburg's largest stevedore, said Team Lines, a leading European feeder operator, and ocean carrier APL, have moved some of their Baltic services from Rotterdam after agreeing to concentrate their feeder operations in the German port.
The carriers will regularly deploy four ships, each with a capacity of 1,400 20-foot equivalent units, on routes between Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and ports in Finland, Russia and Poland.
"This is a landmark success for the port of Hamburg," said Stefan Behn HHLA Executive board member for containers.
The decision by APL and Team Lines to focus feeder operations in Hamburg underlines the port's position as the leading feeder hub in northern Europe for the Baltic region, Behn said.
Hamburg has around 60 feeder services, up from 45 a year ago, and handles up to 160 feeder vessels every week, HHLA said.
APL said it was attracted by Hamburg's operational performance and its favorable geographical location.
"With Hamburg as the hub for transport cargoes into the Baltic region, we are speeding up our feeder services and reducing costs," said Volkere Block, managing director, Germany, for APL.
"At a time when transport costs are rising again, that represents an enormous competitive advantage," Block said.
HHLA and rival Bremen-based terminal operator Eurogate have jointly invested in the establishment of a central feeder logistics complex to speed up the handling of transshipped feeder containers and to cut costs.
Hamburg's container traffic rose 4.3 percent in the first half of 2010 from a year ago to 3.7 million TEUs, trailing double digit increases at its closest rivals Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Traffic with Russia climbed 15.7 percent to 191,000 TEUs but this failed to offset declines on feeder services to Scandinavia and the Baltic states.
HHLA, Hamburg's largest stevedore, said Team Lines, a leading European feeder operator, and ocean carrier APL, have moved some of their Baltic services from Rotterdam after agreeing to concentrate their feeder operations in the German port.
The carriers will regularly deploy four ships, each with a capacity of 1,400 20-foot equivalent units, on routes between Hamburg, Bremerhaven, and ports in Finland, Russia and Poland.
"This is a landmark success for the port of Hamburg," said Stefan Behn HHLA Executive board member for containers.
The decision by APL and Team Lines to focus feeder operations in Hamburg underlines the port's position as the leading feeder hub in northern Europe for the Baltic region, Behn said.
Hamburg has around 60 feeder services, up from 45 a year ago, and handles up to 160 feeder vessels every week, HHLA said.
APL said it was attracted by Hamburg's operational performance and its favorable geographical location.
"With Hamburg as the hub for transport cargoes into the Baltic region, we are speeding up our feeder services and reducing costs," said Volkere Block, managing director, Germany, for APL.
"At a time when transport costs are rising again, that represents an enormous competitive advantage," Block said.
HHLA and rival Bremen-based terminal operator Eurogate have jointly invested in the establishment of a central feeder logistics complex to speed up the handling of transshipped feeder containers and to cut costs.
Hamburg's container traffic rose 4.3 percent in the first half of 2010 from a year ago to 3.7 million TEUs, trailing double digit increases at its closest rivals Rotterdam and Antwerp.
Traffic with Russia climbed 15.7 percent to 191,000 TEUs but this failed to offset declines on feeder services to Scandinavia and the Baltic states.