Duisport's 2019 results predominantly stable
Under provisional estimates, container throughput at the port of Duisburg (duisport) amounted to roughly 4.0 million teu in 2019, reaching virtually the same level as in 2018 (4.1 million teu). With a share of around 60%, container throughput is the most important segment. Total cargo handling volumes are expected to drop from 66.3 million t to around 61.1 million t (-4.2 million t).
The stabilisation of container throughput at 4.0 million teu (-2.5%), after the record years of 2017 and 2018 and in difficult circumstances as well, testifies to the future viability of duisport’s strategy. In cooperation with the Chinese logistics provider Cosco Shipping and other partners, duisport will provide around EUR 100 million for a new container terminal as a direct investment into upgrading the infrastructure.
Duisburg’s port will thus continue its strategy to shift freight traffic, notably from Eastern Europe (trucks, semitrailers, trailers), from the roads to the railways. The measures taken to expand the infrastructure and attract new customers, primarily logport VI, will generate further positive incentives for cargo throughput from as early as the beginning of 2021.
The decrease in total cargo throughput is mainly due to the continuing sharp decline in bulk cargoes. Coal and steel bulk for instance were 20% down from the level of the previous year. Other factors were the closure of the Öresund Bridge, which has a significantly negative effect on trade with the Scandinavian countries, and the fall in demand for primary products for the chemical industry. (mw)