Port of Hamburg handles 3.8 million TEUs in H1 2024

The Port of Hamburg maintained stable container volumes in the first half of 2024, with growth in vessel calls and rail traffic, despite challenges from economic volatility and supply chain disruptions.

The Port of Hamburg

The Port of Hamburg ( Source: Ship Technology)

Container handling at the Port of Hamburg remained stable in H1 2024, with 3.8 million TEU handled, maintaining a consistent trend in both transhipment and continental traffic.

The ongoing energy transition is becoming increasingly evident, especially with the reduction in coal volumes, which has led to a decline in bulk cargo throughput. During this period, the port handled a total of 55.9 million tonnes of seaborne cargo. Despite this, there was still significant growth in both the number of container vessel calls and the share of rail in inland traffic.

Despite challenges in the Red Sea region and unfavourable economic conditions in Germany, container handling remained stable. From January to June 2024, the Port of Hamburg handled 3.8 million TEU, almost the same as in the first half of the previous year (-0.3%).

Loaded container volumes increased slightly by 0.5% to 3.4 million TEU. General cargo handling also showed positive results, increasing by 4.3% to 585,000 tonnes. Overall, general cargo throughput remained stable at 39.2 million tonnes (+/- 0.0%).

Total seaborne cargo throughput in the first half of the year reached 55.9 million tonnes, down 3.9% compared to the same period last year.

The impact of the energy transition is becoming increasingly evident in the handling of bulk cargo, particularly due to the decline in coal volumes. This decline also contributed to an overall decline in bulk throughput, down 12.1% to 16.7 million tonnes.

Among the top ten trading partners, Malaysia stood out in the first six months of 2024, with cargo volumes increasing by 14.7% to 88,000 TEU, ranking in tenth place. US trade also continued its upward trend, with 341,000 TEU handled — up 9.0% — cementing the US’ position as Hamburg’s second-largest trading partner. China maintained its top position, with a total of 1.1 million TEU (-2.2%). Turkey continued its positive trend from the past four years, growing by 26.7% year-on-year. It now ranks twelfth in terms of Hamburg’s trade volume, having moved up six places in the first half of this year.

The number of container ships calling at Hamburg increased slightly in the first half of 2024, up almost 1%. This growth was mainly driven by small and medium-sized vessels, as the number of calls by large containerships with a capacity of over 10,000 TEU decreased across all size classes compared to the same period last year. This trend reflects the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea, where attacks by Houthi rebels have prompted shipping companies to opt for the longer route around the Cape of Good Hope. This detour extends sailing times to and from Asia by up to 15 days and has prompted adjustments to shipping services. On the positive side, additional shipping services are now calling at Hamburg.

Shore power supply for container ships, cruise ships and inland waterway vessels in the Port of Hamburg is becoming increasingly popular, with new facilities recently coming online.

More and more shippers are choosing rail as a sustainable mode of transport for inland traffic, further reinforcing the dominant role of rail in Hamburg’s seaport-inland operations. Despite challenges from line closures and extensive construction work, rail's share of TEUs rose to 50.8% in the first half, with 1.3 million TEUs handled, up 3.1%. In terms of tonnage, rail's share increased 1.2% to 23.4 million tonnes.

Source: Phaata.com (via Container-News)

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