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.

Rotterdam – Koninklijke Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) and Van Oord Dredging and Marine Contractors B.V. (Van Oord) deliver the first stage of Maasvlakte 2 to client Port of Rotterdam Authority on 17 April: on schedule, on budget and in accordance with the quality requirements specified.

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).

According to preliminary figures, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) achieved Group revenue of approx. € 1,125 million and an operating result (EBIT) of around € 185 million in the 2012 financial year.

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.

The construction of Maasvlakte 2 is still on schedule and the first phase is close to completion. After the ‘back door’ was closed on 11 July 2012, contractor PUMA (Boskalis and Van Oord) will open the ‘front door’ next weekend. That is when the Yangtzehaven cut-through will start.

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).

Port dues in Rotterdam will be lowered next year to below the 2008 level. The existing discounts will be maintained, inflation will not be passed on again and the Port of Rotterdam Authority will be giving an extra 2% discount on the port dues.

Első ízben ülésezik Budapesten az INWAPO (Közép-Európa belvízi és tengeri kikötőinek fejlesztési projektje) Irányító Bizottsága. A november 14-15-én megrendezendő tanácskozás házigazdája a Budapesti Szabadkikötő Logisztikai Zrt., résztvevői a régió legfontosabb vízügyi és folyami hatóságai és vállalatai, közlekedési minisztériumai.

Újabb beruházásba kezdtek Magyarország legnagyobb trimodális logisztikai központjában, a Budapesti Szabadkikötő Logisztikai Zrt.-ben (BSZL).

The Single Window challenge for ports. The challenges of meeting the European Union’s 2015 deadline for National Single Windows and the varying ways in which ports currently organize ship reporting formalities have been analysed in a unique study carried out by partners in the EU Port Integration project.

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).

From today, the Dutch coastline will be permanently different. Queen Beatrix gave the sign for the closure of the seawall of Maasvlakte 2. At slack water, when there was minimal current, the large equipment of contractors Boskalis and Van Oord closed the gap in the eleven-kilometre long seawall.

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).

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.

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.

Európa második legnagyobb konténer kikötője növekedésre számít 2012-ben. 2011-ben Németország legnagyobb univerzális kikötője összes 132.2 millió tonnás tengeri áruszállítási volument ért el, ami 9,1%-os növekedést jelent. 2011-ben a konténer volumen összes 90 millió húszlábas konténer (TEU) mennyiségű volt, ami 2010-hez képest 1,12 millióval több TEU-t jelent.

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.

The global fleet of containerships may increase 8.3 per cent in 2012, the most in two years, prolonging an oversupply of vessels on all major trade lanes that could undermine efforts to raise rates, said Alphaliner.

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.