The Port of Hamburg has reason to look to the future with optimism. At 32.8 million tons, total seaborne cargo throughput for the first three months of 2013 put the Port of Hamburg back on a growth course.

Copenhagen, April 2013: Boundaries in the head are slower to disappear than frontiers between countries. This was the realization of the mid-term event participants of the EU logistics project Amber Coast Logistics (ACL), held at the end of April in Copenhagen, Denmark. The potential for growth in the flow of goods between Western Europe and the Baltic Sea region nonetheless remains high.

The European Union and Russian Federation must work together on environmental policies and protection of the environment in the ports industry. That was the clear message to come out of a ‘Ports and the Environment’ workshop held in Kaliningrad, Russia, as part of the EU Port Integration project.

Russia is the second-most important trading partner for the Port of Hamburg in terms of seaborne container handling. With a total volume of approx. 675,000 standard containers (TEU) handled between Hamburg and the Russian ports, the volume of container traffic was up by a further 13.3 per cent in 2012, consolidating the lead in foreign trade with Europe and overseas via Hamburg.

In 2012 the Port of Hamburg’s seaborne cargo throughput reached 130.9 million tons (- 1.0 percent). General cargo throughput at 91.5 million tons was just below the previous year‘s (- 1.2 percent).

Hamburg was the first continental European port of call on the maiden voyage of the CMA CGM Marco Polo. The mega-ship, with a capacity of 16,020 standard containers, is being handled at the HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai. The French shipping company CMA CGM sets great store by Hamburg because of its geographic location and hinterland links.

“Making Belarus more attractive for foreign carriers” Warsaw, “The participation of Belarus in ACL will help to make the country more attractive for foreign carriers”, emphasized Dr. Anatoly Molokovitch, Head of Logistics Department at the School of Business and Management of Technologies of Belarusian State University, at the third Steering Committee Meeting of Amber Coast Logistics (ACL) in November in Warsaw. The School of Business and Management is one of 19 project partners in the transnational logistics project.

Aimed primarily at truckers and dispatchers, the flyer “From Freeport to European Customs Seaport” to mark the abolition of the Freeport in Hamburg from 1 January 2013 is released.

In the first nine months of 2012 the Port of Hamburg achieved total throughput of 98.1 million tons (down 0.8 percent). General cargo throughput at 69.2 million tons was just ahead of last year’s figure (up 0.2 percent).

Volatile freight and charter rates, high fuel prices, unemployed vessels and the problems of ship financing are leading to structural change in coastal and inland waterway shipping. Experts are agreed on that. Yet what does this actually mean for the future of the shortsea, feeder and inland waterway ship trades? And how can companies prepare for the transition?

With the EVER LAMBENT, on 1 September 2012 the Taiwanese EVERGREEN LINE’s largest-ever containership berthed in the Port of Hamburg on her maiden voyage. This post-Panamax vessel with a slot capacity of 8,500 TEU (20-ft standard containers) was handled at HHLA’s Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB).

At the Überseebrücke pier, the Port of Hamburg has for the first time been able to welcome an LNG-fuelled ship. The KV BARENTSHAV belongs to the Norwegian Coastguard fleet, and is deployed on fisheries controls, sea rescue, policing, Customs inspections and environmental checks within Norwegian territorial waters.

In the first three months of 2012 the Port of Hamburg achieved total throughput of 32.6 million tons (+ 3.8 percent). At 2.2 million TEU (20-ft standard containers), throughput on the container handling that predominates in Hamburg as a universal port was 5.2 percent higher than in the first quarter of 2011.

During her maiden voyage the HANJIN SOOHO, the Korean shipping company HANJIN’s largest containership to date, berthed in the Port of Hamburg on 4 May 2012. With a slot capacity of 13,100 TEU (20-ft standard containers), this mega-containership was handled at Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH).

The EU project ‘Amber Coast Logistics’ went down extremely well with representatives of the eastern European transport and logistics sector at the TransRussia Transport Exhibition. Considerable discrepancies in terms of infrastructure in the new and old EU member states and Russia represent a challenge for the project.

A HHLA intermodális vállalatait még következetesebben összehangolja a tengeri logisztika igényeivel. A Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) és a Deutsche Bahn (DB) átszervezik vasúthoz kötődő konténeres szállítási szolgáltatásokat nyújtó vállalataikban levő érdekeltségeiket.

Az Amber Coast régió és európai szállítási és logisztikai szektor természetes hátterének potenciálját nem szabad elpazarolni. Ezt és egyéb követeléseket fogalmaztak meg az „Amber Coast Logistics” nevű transznacionális projekt képviselői a berlini Balti-tengeri Napok alkalmával.

The Port of Hamburg is among the most flexible and best performing universal ports in Europe. Hamburg’s eight multi-purpose terminals with their total of 30 berths are notable for having years of experience and cutting-edge equipment.

Maersk Line, the world’s largest liner shipping company, has added the Port of Hamburg to the port rotation of its Maersk AE-6 Service. The MATHILDE MAERSK berthed at Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH) as the first vessel on this liner service to call in Hamburg on 24 March 2012.

This year Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM) will be showcasing Hamburg‘s potential to around 45,000 trade visitors from industry, commerce and the logistics sector in South America by participating again in Intermodal South America in São Paulo. The fair is being held from 10th to 12th April 2012.

The Port of Hamburg will showcase for representatives of the Russian and international transport industry at TransRussia in Moscow between 24 and 27 April 2012. “This means that for the thirteenth time we are represented at Russia’s top transport trade fair with a joint venture stand,” emphasizes Claudia Roller, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM), CEO of the largest German seaport’s marketing organization.

Hamburg, Antwerp and Rotterdam satisfied with the European Parliament Environment Committee voting results. The Ports of Hamburg, Antwerp and Rotterdam are satisfied with the European Parliament resolution to transpose international legislation regarding sulphur content in marine fuels into European legislation.

Following a slight downturn in 2010, volumes in container handling between the Port of Hamburg and Poland recovered notably in 2011. Feedership container traffic with Poland, for instance, grew by 33.3 percent to 238,000 TEU (20-feet standard containers) and with Eastern Europe as a whole by 38.7 percent to 1,07 million TEU.

In 2011 Germany’s largest universal port achieved a seaborne cargo throughput totalling 132.2 million tons that represents an increase of 9.1 percent. Container throughput in 2011 totalled 9 million 20-feet standard containers (TEU), or 1.12 million TEU more than in 2010.

Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM) is to open its own Port Representative Office in Hong Kong in January 2012. HHM’s existing cooperation with the German Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong will therefore cease at the end of 2011.

Official opening of Hamburg Representative Office in Mumbai and inauguration of new, direct liner services. Within the EU the Port of Hamburg is one of India’s most important commercial partners in seaborne foreign trade.