In the first half of 2018 the Port of Hamburg achieved total throughput of 66.5 million tons. That represented a moderate downturn of 4.9%, with the downward trend slowing in the second quarter.
General cargo throughput was 45.5 million tons, reduced by 2.2% and bulk cargo throughput was reduced by 10.4% at 21.1 million tons. This segment caused 71% of the total downturn, with reductions in suction and liquid cargoes being market-driven. However, the 3.1% fall in handling of grab cargoes, the largest sub-segment, accounting for 55% of the bulk cargo total, was within the range of normal fluctuations.
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The trend in conventional general cargo handling once again proved very satisfactory. Up 777,000 tons or 8.0%, in the first half the upward trend first apparent in the fourth quarter of 2017 was maintained. In the first six months of 2018, imports of heavy freight rose by 62.5% to 160,000 tons. Imports of metals and vehicles more than doubled: Those of metals rose by 121.7% to 79,000 tons and those of vehicles rose by 106.4% up to 25,000 tons.
In the first half of 2018 container throughput at 4.3 million TEU was slightly lower than in the previous year. Handling of fewer empty boxes was the cause of 81% of the fall. In the first half a total of 525,000 empty containers (TEU) were handled, or 15.6% fewer. Handling of boxes stuffed with general cargo at 3.8 million TEU was almost stable.
Landside seaport-hinterland transport by rail developed especially satisfactorily. This led to a 2.3% rise in this most environment-friendly carrier’s share of the modal split to 45.1%. In the first six months, in handling for continental Europe 2.7 million TEU crossed the quays of the Port of Hamburg. The 1.6% drop here can be regarded as slight, around 83% of it being caused by a lower empty-box total.
Almost 64% of the downturn in container throughput in the first half of 2018 is attributable to lower transhipment throughput, primarily on feeder services in the Baltic. Transhipment handling for the first six months totalled 1.6 million TEU.
Container volume on the principal sea trade route between Hamburg and East Asia rose by 1% to 1.6 million TEU in the first half of 2018. Among the sea trades where container services performed much better than in the same period of the previous year were also the East Coast of South America, the West Coast of North America, and North Africa. With steep growth of 37.6 percent to 127,000 TEU, Brazil moved up to fifth slot in Hamburg’s Top Ten tally of trading partners, having been fifteenth in 2017. Sweden came third – 2017: sixth – after China (including Hong Kong) and Singapore. For the first time since 2005, Taiwan appeared in this top group, taking tenth place. As in the previous year, in the 2018 first half the Top Ten accounted for 58 percent of total container handling.
