On 1 March container terminal operators HHLA and Eurogate announced the discontinuation of all container handling to and from Russia.
In addition to seaborne services, rail and truck transport is also affected, while HHLA’s rail subsidiary Metrans has announced that it will discontinue container transport from and to Russia.
Maersk, Hapag Lloyd, MSC, ONE and CMA CGM are among many shipping companies to have cancelled almost all bookings to and from Russia and the Ukraine. At the same time, they point out, food, medicines and other humanitarian items are excluded from that.
In the current situation, on exports the Customs is determining which freight precisely is involved in specific cases. Any automatic clearance of goods for Russia is cancelled.
Those included on the sanctions list therefore no longer receive export clearance. All other freight may continue to be delivered. This differentiated procedure means that freight exports to Russia are no longer handled with IT, but must be individually checked by members of Customs staff, which is naturally more time-consuming
said the Port of Hamburg.
However, these measures will also have economic repercussions for the Port of Hamburg. Axel Mattern, Joint CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, explained that the port handled 337,000 TEU in seaborne traffic with Russia last year. That total will now be distinctly lower.
