duisport concludes 2020 successfully despite slight decline in cargo handling

Despite the Corona pandemic, Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport) achieved a growth of 5 percent in container handling in the fiscal year 2020, reaching 4.2 million TEU. However, total handling decreased by 3%. The new China destinations strengthen duisport’s market position. Diversification secures the logistics location Duisburg in global competition.

(Duisburg) Despite the Corona pandemic, duisport achieved a growth of 5 percent in container handling in 2020, reaching 4.2 million TEU (previous year: 4.0 million), thus setting a new record level. With a share of around 55 percent, container handling is the most important goods segment for duisport. Overall, the duisport group recorded a handling of nearly 59 million tons in 2020, according to preliminary evaluations. This is a decrease of about 3 percent compared to the previous year (2019: 61.1 million tons). The decline is attributed to the politically induced cessation of coal handling.

In particular, the freight traffic with China by rail increased by about 70 percent in the past fiscal year. In 2019, an average of 35 to 40 trains operated weekly between Duisburg and various destinations in China. From the second quarter of 2020, the Duisburg port registered an increase to up to 60 trains per week. Positive developments were also evident in Eastern Europe. Expanded connections in the trailer business to Poland have already significantly contributed to the continuous growth over the years.

The duisport network grows in crisis

“These increases in container business are not solely due to pandemic-related catch-up effects. Especially in the second half of the year, our strategy paid off, having expanded our train offerings to additional Chinese destinations already in April – right in the middle of the first lockdown. By now, all major logistics hubs in Europe and Asia are an integral part of our network. We have systematically expanded our position as the preferred destination for Eastern European and Asian goods traffic to Europe. Our customers appreciate our flexibility and performance – and especially our rapid onward transport options. We have already approved further investments to remain an attractive partner in bulk goods business. Duisburg will remain a multimodal port, and that will not change,” emphasizes duisport CEO Erich Staake.

Strengthening rail traffic

Duisburg port will continue its successful path in 2021, shifting goods traffic, especially from Eastern Europe (trucks, articulated lorries, trailers), from road to rail. The expansion measures and customer settlements made so far, particularly DSV and MAERSK at logport VI, will trigger further important impulses for duisport’s cargo handling.

“Despite the positive development, we must exercise caution and realism,” emphasizes the chairman of the board of Duisburger Hafen AG. “As vaccination strategies in EU countries are progressing significantly worse than in the USA or, for example, the UK, we must expect demand losses and further restrictions due to lockdowns in our home market. Particularly in logistics, which is characterized by small and medium-sized enterprises, further consumer uncertainty can have negative consequences. We are still exposed to significant uncertainties in 2021, in the second year of the pandemic, and are by no means out of the woods,” warns Staake.

Photo: © Hans Blossey/duisport

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