Port of Hamburg welcomes large container ships

Container traffic per vessel size

According to the Port of Hamburg, more container ships in the “Megamax” class of 18,000 TEU and above called at the Port of Hamburg, continuing the trend towards more large container ships. At 272 vessels, the figure rose by 14.8 percent in 2023.

We are pleased that the number of large container ships calling at Hamburg has increased in the past year. The fact that so many of the world’s largest container ships call at the Port of Hamburg clearly demonstrates the port’s capability and reliability

… noted Friedrich Stuhrmann, CCO at the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). 

The number of calls by large container ships also rose overall. In 2023, 511 calls by ultra-large container ships of 10,000 TEU or more were recorded – an increase of 5.1 percent compared to the previous year.

Moreover, the number of very large container ships (8,000 to 9,999 TEU) and “Panamax” container ships (4,000 to 5,999 TEU) at the Hamburg terminals increased considerably (23.1 percent or 36.7 percent respectively).

This year, we will put the first shore-side power plants into operation at the major container terminals. This will enable a substantial reduction in emissions at the berth. In doing so, the Port of Hamburg will expand on its pioneering role in the field of sustainability and shore-side electricity

… said Stuhrmann

Container volumes per country 

Furthermore, USA traffic continued its positive development of the previous years. In total, 653,000 TEU were handled in 2023 with what has become the Port of Hamburg’s second strongest trading partner.

This corresponds to a gain of 8 percent compared to 2022. Throughput with India also developed positively. In direct traffic alone, 191,000 TEU – 5.6 percent more containers – were handled with the world’s most populous country in the past year.

India thus became the Port of Hamburg’s eighth most important trading partner. China continues to lead the list with 2.2 million TEUs handled in 2023.