Positive Cargo Development of the Port of Hamburg in the First Quarter

The seaborne cargo handling in the Port of Hamburg developed more positively than expected in the first quarter of 2021. Particularly, the strong handling performance in March boosted the upward trend. Thus, the seaborne cargo handling in the first quarter showed an increase of 0.4 percent compared to the same quarter last year. The container handling was 1.8 percent above the comparable previous year’s figure. After a cautious start in the first two months, March brought a significant boost for container handling. The handling of bulk goods achieved an increase of 2.7 percent.

(Hamburg) The ongoing global effects of the Corona pandemic still shaped the handling development in the Port of Hamburg in the first quarter of 2021. “The month of March brought a significant turnaround in container handling. The growth showed a strong increase of 9.4 percent compared to March 2020. From March onwards, we observed the ramp-up of many economic sectors, a stronger demand in consumption, and a stabilization of the Hamburg-based liner services. With 697,000 TEU handled in the seaport hinterland traffic by rail in the first quarter, we achieved a very good result with an increase of 5.1 percent,” explains Axel Mattern, Managing Director of Hafen Hamburg Marketing e.V. (HHM).

The Seaborne Cargo Handling

In the first three months of the year, 32.1 million tons of seaborne goods were loaded or unloaded at the terminals in the Port of Hamburg. This is a slight increase of 0.4 percent compared to the previous year’s result. The general cargo handling remained at 22.4 million tons (-0.5 percent), just below the previous year’s result. Container handling in Hamburg also showed an upward trend with a total of 2.2 million TEU (20-foot standard containers). Compared to the previous year, this is an increase of 1.8 percent. “Imports and exports in container handling developed very balanced. With 1.1 million TEU each, both imports and exports achieved an increase of 1.8 percent. The container shipping areas America, Asia, Africa, and Australia/Pacific all contributed to positive handling developments.

In the European traffic, only the transshipment handling with Scandinavian countries developed positively with an increase of 3.7 percent. Overall, the European traffic still shows a decline of 4.0 percent in the first quarter,” says Mattern. The bulk cargo handling reached a total of 9.8 million tons with an increase of 2.7 percent. Within the bulk segment, the handling of grab cargo developed very strongly with a total of 5.5 million tons, achieving an increase of 17 percent. This growth was particularly driven by the import of ore, which accounted for a particularly high share of the very good result in the bulk sector with 2.7 million tons (+36.1 percent). In the segments of suction goods and liquid cargo, the handling development remained below the previous year’s result with 1.7 million tons (-19.1 percent) and 2.6 million tons (-5.5 percent).

Different Development of the Top 10 Partner Countries

In the container handling of the ten most important trading partners of the Port of Hamburg, the development in the first three months of 2021 was very varied. In the seaborne container handling with China, Hamburg’s by far largest trading partner, an increase of 16 percent was achieved with 672,000 TEU. The USA, Hamburg’s No. 2, also remained on a growth path with 147,000 TEU (+0.7 percent). Other countries among the top 10 with positive container handling developments in the first three months were Sweden (+2.6 percent), Poland (+6.0 percent), Brazil (+9.8 percent), and Denmark (+3.2 percent). These positive developments in seaborne container handling were able to offset the declines with other countries in the first quarter. “Among the top 10 trading partners of Hamburg in seaborne container traffic, six countries are already back on a growth path in the first quarter. Among the four countries with declines, we observe a stabilization and slight recovery. However, the ongoing effects of the Corona pandemic on global transport and trade chains are expected to gradually diminish this year. The year 2021 will bring growth back to the Port of Hamburg according to the current situation. Initial positive signals for a recovering seaborne cargo handling in the Port of Hamburg are reflected in the handling results of the first quarter,” explains Ingo Egloff, board member alongside Axel Mattern.

Meeting Box and Deeper Waterway Released

Another positive signal for the Port of Hamburg was set by the nautical authorities of Hamburg and the federal government with the first partial release of the new waterway depths and the meeting box at the beginning of May. In the first phase, ships can utilize about half of the total depth improvements gained. The CMA CGM Jacques Saadé was the first megamax-class container ship to utilize the extended draft. With a length of 400 meters and a width of 61 meters, the LNG container ship is among those that can now utilize 90 centimeters more draft. This allows the ship to bring around 1,000 more containers to Hamburg. “Since the release of the new waterway depths a few weeks ago, we have significantly more leeway in traffic flow planning due to the higher tide-independent drafts. Additionally, the completion of the meeting box now allows larger ships to safely and easily meet in opposite directions,” says Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority. “After the implementation of the second and final release phase in the second half of 2021, we will be able to fully exploit the draft improvements.” Depending on the size class, ships will then be able to utilize up to 1.9 meters more draft. At the same time, it is already possible for ships with a combined width of up to 104 meters to meet in the box. It has been widened to 385 meters over a length of eight kilometers between Wedel and Blankenese.

Strong Growth in Container Transport by Rail

In the first three months, 697,000 TEU were transported on the tracks of the Hamburg port railway. This is an increase of 5.1 percent. “We are very pleased that container transport by rail in the Port of Hamburg is back on a growth path and has made significant gains. This joy is not dampened by the fact that with 11.8 million tons, the total goods transported by rail just barely missed the previous year’s result. The reason for the decrease of 0.9 percent is primarily due to declining liquid cargo transports of mineral oil,” says Egloff. On the efficient rail network of about 300 kilometers in length, the Hamburg port railway operates over 200 freight trains daily with more than 5,500 wagons. On March 24, a new peak value of 10,798 TEU was reached for a single day in container traffic. According to Ingo Egloff, the system has proven to be reliable even during the Corona pandemic. “In recent days and weeks, however, we have noticed that the railway handling in the Port of Hamburg can lead to temporary delays due to the large number of ship delays. Terminal operators and railway operators are trying to avoid bottlenecks in handling,” adds Egloff. Among other things, the utilization of container trains has also been further advanced. In the first quarter, March achieved an average of 78.1 TEU per container train, the third-highest monthly value to date. The empty wagon ratio in container traffic was also at 12.8 percent, the lowest level since the start of recording. In the seaport hinterland traffic of the Port of Hamburg, the railway share in the modal split is also increased by better utilization of routes and deployed equipment. Last year, the railway already accounted for 50.7 percent of the leading transport mode in land transport.

Outlook for 2021

For the year 2021, the marketing organization of the Port of Hamburg expects a generally more stable course in seaborne cargo handling. With the resumption of suspended liner service departures and new services, a handling result of 130 million tons and 8.7 million TEU is achievable, given a hopefully improving global situation.

Photo: © HHM / Peter Glaubitt