Of all ports in the North European Range, in 2011 Hamburg therefore achieved the fastest absolute growth in container throughput.
After a successful year in 2011, the Port of Hamburg with throughput 14.2 percent up at altogether 9 million TEU is again Europe’s second largest container port, ahead of Antwerp. The Port of Hamburg’s total throughput was 9.1 percent higher, reaching a volume of 132 million tons that crossed its quays in the past twelve months. In other words, 11 million tons more were handled compared to 2010.
Claudia Roller, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM), presented the 2011 handling figures at the Port of Hamburg’s annual press conference today: “We are delighted that in 2011 the Port of Hamburg proved able to achieve above-average growth both in total throughput and in container traffic. With the strongest absolute growth in container throughput, Hamburg regained market shares of approximately 1.3 percentage points as against its competing ports.” The positive trend in 2011 prompted Claudia Roller to forecast growth once again for next year: “For 2012 we are also reckoning with an increase in throughput figures, although this will slow down compared to 2011, meaning that by year-end we should have achieved a moderate increase on seaborne cargoes.
With its existing capacities, well developed infrastructure and highly efficient port service providers, some of whom have recently won international awards, Hamburg is very well equipped to handle growing cargo volumes with its customary reliability, speed and high quality. The forthcoming deepening of the navigation channel on the Lower and Outer Elbe will further boost Hamburg’s attractiveness in competition with North Range ports as a European hub for ultra-large vessels. Nevertheless, as yet not fully implemented changes in major liner services make it difficult to calculate the trend in container throughput at this stage.” Following 6.9 percent growth in world trade in 2011, for 2012 the IMF (International Monetary Fund) anticipates a renewed slowdown in such growth to 3.8 percent. The IMF assessment of the prospects for world growth also takes into account that in 2012 the repercussions of the debt crisis will cause countries of the Eurozone to slip into a slight recession in the area of the real economy.
An overview of the Port of Hamburg’s gratifying year in 2011
The Port of Hamburg can look back on thoroughly satisfactory results for the year on both imports and exports. On the imports side Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM), the Port of Hamburg‘s marketing organisation, reports throughput of 76.2 million tons (+ 8.2 percent). Exports via Hamburg at 56 million tons reflected growth of no less than 10.3 percent on the same period of the previous year.
At 92.6 million tons, the general cargo throughput predominant in Hamburg achieved 14.4 percent growth. In 2011 the Port of Hamburg‘s container throughput totalled 90.1 million tons (+ 15 percent). At 4.6 million TEU, the Port of Hamburg achieved 13.8 percent growth on imports, while exports at 4.4 million TEU were up by 14.5 percent. The trade routes mainly responsible for growth in container throughput were the Baltic region and East Asia, as well as North and South America. These alone accounted for around 82 percent of the growth in box throughput. In container traffic, in 2011 Asia once again retained top position among the Port of Hamburg’s trade routes. Last year altogether 5.2 million TEU were handled from and for Asia, or around 419,000 TEU (+ 8.8 percent) more than in the previous year. Yet the largest rise in container throughput reported for the Port of Hamburg in 2011 was with the USA. With 81.6 percent growth, the USA advanced from twelfth to sixth place among the Port of Hamburg’s foreign trade partners. On container throughput in the Port of Hamburg, growth was also achieved in 2011 by the other trades, namely America (+ 28 percent), Africa (+ 5.3 percent) and Australia/Pacific (+ 0.1 percent).
Container throughput in the Baltic trade developed equally satisfactorily. Gaining around 27 percent, in 2011 transhipment traffic by feeder grew at an above-average rate. Russia reported enormous, 35.7 percent growth in container throughput via Hamburg and with 596,000 TEU is meanwhile the Port of Hamburg’s second most important trading partner in container traffic. With altogether 238,000 TEU, in 2011 feeder services with Polish ports reported above-average growth of 33.3 percent. Altogether around 3.3 million TEU were handled in transhipment traffic in Hamburg last year. With more than 150 sailings per week, Hamburg remains the most important feeder port in Northern Europe for the whole of the Baltic region. For both Hamburg and Germany’s North Sea ports, the Kiel Canal cuts the distance to be covered and voyage times for traffic with the Baltic. That represents an important locational advantage in competition with ports situated further West.
Port of Hamburg throughput statistics on conventional cargoes, which also cover RoRo cargoes, have been down at 2.5 million tons (- 3.8 percent) in 2011. The decisive factor for the downturn in this segment of throughput was the drop in imports of conventionally stowed citrus fruits, which were 17.8 percent lower at 497,000 tons. The rise in imports of conventionally loaded metals was gratifying, since at 185,000 tons these were handsomely ahead by almost 26 percent. Also very satisfactory were vehicle imports, handled as RoRo cargoes in Hamburg, which at 96,000 tons grew by 12.3 percent. At 133,000 tons (- 4 percent), imports of paper as a conventional cargo were only slightly below the previous year’s level. On the export side, at 1.4 million tons throughput of conventional general cargo was up by 2.5 percent. The main goods exported were heavy cargoes and plant at 543,000 tons (- 8 percent), vehicles with 517,000 tons (+ 9.5 percent) and iron and steel with 281,000 tons (+ 17.1 percent), all handled at the Port of Hamburg’s specialized terminals.