In 2023, the terminals in the Port of Hamburg handled a total of 114.3 million tonnes of goods, according to the company's release. Seaborne cargo throughput is thus 4.7 percent below the level of the previous year. Container throughput amounted to 7.7 million TEU, decreasing by 6.9 percent. In the first half of 2023, the decline in container throughput amounted to as much as 11.7 percent compared to the same period in the previous year.
Bulk cargo throughput remained stable in 2023 at 36.2 million tonnes (-0.2 percent compared to the previous year). With an increase of 8.4 percent to 6.6 million tonnes, the agribulk business in particular recorded strong growth. In the area of liquid cargo, companies increased throughput to 10.6 million tonnes. This equates to a gain of 6.6 percent compared to the previous year. Conversely, the throughput of grabbable cargo fell by 6.2 percent to 19 million tonnes. This was due to reduced power generation from coal as well as an inspection at a steelworks connected to the Port of Hamburg.
USA traffic continued its positive development of the previous years. In total, 653,000 TEU were handled in 2023 with what has become the Port of Hamburg’s second strongest trading partner. This corresponds to a gain of 8 percent compared to 2022. Throughput with India also developed positively. In direct traffic alone, 191,000 TEU – 5.6 percent more containers – were handled with the world’s most populous country in the past year. India thus became the Port of Hamburg’s eighth most important trading partner. China continues to lead the list with 2.2 million TEUs handled in 2023.
More container vessels in the “Megamax” class of 18,000 TEU and above called at the Port of Hamburg, continuing the trend towards more large container ships. At 272 vessels, the figure rose by 14.8 percent in 2023.
The number of calls by large container ships also rose overall. In 2023, 511 calls by ultra-large container ships of 10,000 TEU or more were recorded – an increase of 5.1 percent compared to the previous year. Moreover, the number of very large container ships (8,000 to 9,999 TEU) and “Panamax” container ships (4,000 to 5,999 TEU) at the Hamburg terminals increased considerably (23.1 percent or 36.7 percent respectively).
Hinterland traffic to and from the Port of Hamburg turned out relatively robust in 2023, despite the decline in total cargo throughput. With a volume of 5.1 million TEU, a decrease of only 4.7 percent was recorded. Transshipment traffic declined more significantly (2.6 million TEU, -10.9 percent compared to the previous year), after already exhibiting volatility in the past.
Rail transported a total of 45.6 million tonnes (-3.6 percent) of goods and products via Europe’s largest railway port. In terms of modal split, with a share of 53.5 percent, rail transport is clearly ahead of truck (38.1 percent) and barge transport (8.4 percent).
In the previous year, 2.5 million TEU were transported to or from the hinterland of the Port of Hamburg by rail, marking a 6.4 percent decline. Rail transport constituted nearly half (49.7 percent) of all containers in hinterland traffic, with road transport representing 47.9 percent and inland waterways making up 2.4 percent.