The companies say the plan would raise annual capacity from 3 million TEU to 4 million TEU and move the site towards “zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions operations” through electrified equipment and renewable electricity.
However, the investment remains subject to internal and external approvals. Separately, local leaders are pressing Berlin to speed up a river deepening project they argue is essential to fully unlock the terminal’s potential.
A long-term deal under negotiation
APM Terminals and Eurogate said they were in advanced negotiations on a long-term partnership covering NTB, which has been operated jointly for more than 25 years.
Maersk chief executive Vincent Clerc said Bremerhaven could play a bigger role in cargo flows into Germany and Maersk’s wider network.
“Bremerhaven has unique potential to grow as a strategic hub in the region and to support cargo flows into Germany as well as our ocean network,” he said.
He added that the investment was intended to make NTB “one of the most competitive terminals in Europe’s North Range”.
Capacity increase and decarbonisation plan
The companies said the €1bn package would be used to modernise terminal equipment and increase throughput capacity to 4 million TEU a year, up from 3 million.
They also said the terminal is intended to operate with zero GHG emissions, based on electrified handling equipment and renewable electricity—which they described as a first-of-its-kind approach in Germany.
Eurogate chief executive Michael Blach said the project would combine technology upgrades with decarbonisation.
“The joint project to equip the terminal with state-of-the-art technology and decarbonise the operations… shows how convinced we are of the future success of Bremerhaven as a location in the global maritime trade network,” he said.
Dredging becomes the political flashpoint
Alongside the investment plans, the announcement draws attention to a long-running infrastructure issue: deepening the Outer Weser river.
The companies said river deepening was “an essential prerequisite” for fully unlocking the benefits of the upgraded terminal, and noted that a planning process is underway within public administration.
Bremen’s mayor, Andreas Bovenschulte, welcomed the investment but urged the federal government to act.
“Now it is up to the federal government to press ahead with the deepening of the Outer Weser and implement it quickly,” he said.
