HAMBURG's first quarter cargo volume fell 21.7 per cent year on year to 27.32 million tons, but month to month improvement is discernable, says the port authority.
"After seven months of decline, more orders are again being received in the industry and foreign sales are once again indicating a growth in exports," said Port of Hamburg marketing chairwoman Claudia Roller.
The decline was blamed on the global economic downturn. On the import side, the volume of goods amounted to 15.75 million tons, a decrease of 22.6 per cent compared to the first quarter last year. Hamburg exports dropped 20.4 per cent to 11.57 million tons.
The handling of general cargo was "worse affected by the global economic stagnation than the handling of bulk goods, general cargo achieving a total of 18.45 million tons (-26.2 per cent) and the bulk goods 8.87 million tons (-10.3 per cent) in the first three months of this year," a statement from the port authority said.
Container throughput amounted to 1.86 million TEU in the first quarter, representing a decrease of 24.3 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2008.
China is the port's biggest trading partner with one in three of the containers going to or coming from China. In comparison with the first quarter of 2008, Chinese foreign trade with Europe declined between January and February by 20.2 per cent and in March by 19.3 per cent. "This has particularly serious implications for Hamburg, as the biggest European port for trade with China," the release said.
Ms Roller said that since the beginning of the year general cargo has begun to show a "rising tendency", and from March the same trend has been noted in bulk volumes.
She also cited positive signals from the port's customers and partners in the German industry sounded at recent port receptions in Vienna and Neuss/Duesseldorf, TransRussia in Moscow and transport logistic in Munich.
"After seven months of decline, more orders are again being received in the industry and foreign sales are once again indicating a growth in exports," Ms Roller said.
In some port sectors growth has been recorded during the reporting period, with the handling of general cargo in connection with project cargo and heavy lift cargo rising to 59,000 tons of import in the first quarter of 2009, an increase of 33.2 per cent as compared with the previous year's period. In the bulk cargo sector, shipments of grain grew to a total of 774,000 tons, representing a rise of 121 per cent.
Furthermore, Ms Roller is said to be convinced that public forecasts of a six per cent decline in the German GNP in 2009 will "turn out to be unduly pessimistic." She expects a big increase in global trade in the second half, the statement added.
"After seven months of decline, more orders are again being received in the industry and foreign sales are once again indicating a growth in exports," said Port of Hamburg marketing chairwoman Claudia Roller.
The decline was blamed on the global economic downturn. On the import side, the volume of goods amounted to 15.75 million tons, a decrease of 22.6 per cent compared to the first quarter last year. Hamburg exports dropped 20.4 per cent to 11.57 million tons.
The handling of general cargo was "worse affected by the global economic stagnation than the handling of bulk goods, general cargo achieving a total of 18.45 million tons (-26.2 per cent) and the bulk goods 8.87 million tons (-10.3 per cent) in the first three months of this year," a statement from the port authority said.
Container throughput amounted to 1.86 million TEU in the first quarter, representing a decrease of 24.3 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2008.
China is the port's biggest trading partner with one in three of the containers going to or coming from China. In comparison with the first quarter of 2008, Chinese foreign trade with Europe declined between January and February by 20.2 per cent and in March by 19.3 per cent. "This has particularly serious implications for Hamburg, as the biggest European port for trade with China," the release said.
Ms Roller said that since the beginning of the year general cargo has begun to show a "rising tendency", and from March the same trend has been noted in bulk volumes.
She also cited positive signals from the port's customers and partners in the German industry sounded at recent port receptions in Vienna and Neuss/Duesseldorf, TransRussia in Moscow and transport logistic in Munich.
"After seven months of decline, more orders are again being received in the industry and foreign sales are once again indicating a growth in exports," Ms Roller said.
In some port sectors growth has been recorded during the reporting period, with the handling of general cargo in connection with project cargo and heavy lift cargo rising to 59,000 tons of import in the first quarter of 2009, an increase of 33.2 per cent as compared with the previous year's period. In the bulk cargo sector, shipments of grain grew to a total of 774,000 tons, representing a rise of 121 per cent.
Furthermore, Ms Roller is said to be convinced that public forecasts of a six per cent decline in the German GNP in 2009 will "turn out to be unduly pessimistic." She expects a big increase in global trade in the second half, the statement added.