Port of Kiel narrowly misses last year’s record results in 2024

The Port of Kiel reports a satisfactory result in challenging times: With 7.6 million tons handled and 2.7 million passengers processed, the port is only slightly behind last year’s record results. The port plans to invest 70 million euros over the next five years.

(Kiel, January 15, 2025) SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG published the handling figures for the year 2024 on Wednesday during the traditional annual press conference. The port closes with a freight volume of 7.6 million tons (-3.8%) and 2.7 million passengers (-5%). While the volumes on the Scandinavian ferry routes declined, the freight volume towards the Baltic and the Swedish paper business experienced significant growth.

“We look back on a satisfactory result in times of a demanding market environment. Even though we are slightly behind last year’s volumes, we are still at a high level of freight and passengers. The development in Scandinavia remains exciting for us in 2025 as well. However, we are optimistic that there will be a slight recovery overall,” says Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG.

Route to the Baltic experiences positive growth

As a result of the currently weakening economy in Scandinavia and Germany, the volumes on the route to Gothenburg (total freight result 1.97 million tons) and to Oslo (total freight result 774,000 tons) decreased. In contrast, the development at the East Side Port, which accounts for nearly half of the total handling in the Port of Kiel with 3.6 million tons handled, shows a different trend. The route to the Baltic has already experienced positive growth for the second consecutive year, closing with 2.74 million tons (+4.5%). The paper business also developed strongly, especially at the beginning of the year, and closed with significant growth (total result 744,000 tons, +10 percent).

The handling of bulk goods remains stable at just under one million tons, which continues to be of high importance for the regional construction industry. Intermodal traffic in the Port of Kiel also suffers in 2024 from the urgently needed renovation of the railway infrastructure and the steadily rising track prices, decreasing to 13,000 units. In 2024, the Port of Kiel welcomed 184 cruise ships with a total of 1.1 million passengers. Despite a lower number of calls than in previous years, a high result was achieved due to the good booking situation of the ships.

Investments of 70 million in the next five years

The Port of Kiel has shore power facilities at all ferry and cruise terminals, supplying 60 percent of all ferry and cruise ship calls with green electricity. Currently, an expansion of the existing shore power facility is under construction at the Ostseekai, one of the two major cruise terminals in Kiel. This is expected to enable the downtown terminal to supply two cruise ships simultaneously with shore power starting in autumn 2025. In addition, the port is planning further investment projects, which will include not only port area expansion and additional photovoltaic systems but also e-charging stations for cars and trucks. Overall, the PORT OF KIEL plans to invest 70 million euros over the next five years.

Photo: © Port of Kiel / Image caption (l. to r.): Mikko Juelich (Managing Director of Stena Line Germany), Dr. Dirk Claus (Managing Director of Port of Kiel), and Managing Director (Color Line GmbH) at the annual press conference of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH