Container imports rose 11.6%, while exports increased by 6.9%. In tonnage terms, containerised general cargo reached 41.2 million tonnes, representing a 6.8% rise.
By contrast, conventional general cargo declined 3.7% to 0.6 million tonnes, while bulk cargo fell 3.8% to 16.0 million tonnes. Within bulk, liquid cargo grew 10.3% to 4.7 million tonnes, but grab cargo such as coal and ores dropped 6.6% to 8.5 million tonnes. Agricultural bulk fell 13.9% to 2.9 million tonnes, largely due to an 80.8% slump in grain exports to 852,000 tonnes. Oilseed imports increased by 8.9% to 1.7 million tonnes.
Strong growth in Asia and Baltic trades
Trade with Asia and the Baltic region accounted for much of the container growth. Volumes on Far East routes rose 10.7% to 1.8 million TEU, with China up 10.5% to 1.2 million TEU, India up 41.6% to 137,000 TEU, and Malaysia up 93.2% to 169,000 TEU.
Baltic trades grew 20.8% to 734,000 TEU. Denmark recorded a 36% rise to 98,000 TEU, Finland 20.1% to 125,000 TEU, and Poland 28.8% to 182,000 TEU. Among Hamburg’s major partners, the United States saw a 19.3% decline to 275,000 TEU, a fall attributed in part to trade policy developments.
More calls by large container vessels
The number of container ship calls increased slightly, up 0.7% compared with the previous year. Calls by vessels with capacity above 10,000 TEU rose 51.6% to 285, while those by the largest ships above 24,000 TEU increased 29.6% to 127.
New liner services connecting Hamburg with the Mediterranean, Middle East, Far East and India contributed to the rise, as carriers adjusted routing strategies around the Cape of Good Hope.
Transhipment and hinterland volumes increase
Hinterland traffic grew 2.2% to 2.6 million TEU, while transhipment rose sharply by 23.8% to 1.6 million TEU.
Friedrich Stuhrmann, CCO of Hamburg Port Authority, said the figures underlined Hamburg’s role as a hub between Asia and Northern Europe, particularly the Baltic region. He also pointed to infrastructure developments:
“The transformation of the Waltershof port and the associated turning circle expansion are important projects to secure this development for the future.”
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