Germany’s Port of Kiel continues to achieve growth in passenger traffic, reaching an increase of 4.2% with 2.2 million travellers. In the meantime, the port’s cargo sector experienced a decrease of 3.5% to 7.15 tonnes of cargo in 2018.
Specifically
- Cruise growth
The port of Kiel hosted, during 2018, 169 cruise ship visits. The number is 143 more in comparison to 2017, reaching a 15.3% increase.
The number of passengers also experienced an increase by 16.5%.
The port expects, according to its statement, a total gross tonnage to increase to over 15 million and the number of passengers could reach 620,000.
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The most frequent guests according to the port, this season, will be the ships of AIDA/Costa, TUI Cruises and MSC with AIDA and TUI Cruises calling at the port with four different vessels each. The biggest cruise ship this year will be the 171,600 ton MSC Meraviglia which has capacity for 5,700 passengers. Nieuw Statendam and AIDAprima will visit for the first time.
- Ferry Traffic
Ferry traffic is the core of the port as the make up the 80% of the port’s overall transhipment activities.
Although, Norway showed a 2.3% growth and the Baltic states 1.6%, cargo decreased by 10% on the Kiel-Gothenburg route.
A factor was the long layover of Stena Scandinavica at the shipyard which means that the vessel wasn’t available for service.
Also, the weekly line service to and from Russia was stable due to continuing mutual restrictions on trade.
The bulk cargo handling ended 2018 with a 2% decrease.
The biggest single volume was handled on the Kiel – Klaipeda service by DFDS. Since the inauguration of the SCA Terminal in autumn 2016, over 1.5 million tons of paper products from Sweden’s SCA and Iggesund have been transhipped via the terminal in Kiel.
- Intermodal Transport
The Color Line shipping company expanded its cargo business with the ferry Color Carrier on the Kiel – Oslo route.
Dr. Dirk Claus, the Managing Director of the Port of Kiel reported that the extra ferry offer the possibility to increase the cargo volume handled at Norwegenkai by more than 500,000 tons in the medium-term.
In 2017, almost 29.000 trailers and containers were loaded on wagon in Kiel. The train connection to Trieste was, however, suspended and the planned milestone of 30,000 units was not be reached.
- Expansion and Environmental Protection
The Port is currently investing over 30 million Euros in port expansion and environmental protection.
The port apron at Ostuferhafen will be redesigned by spring to optimize logistics and the hard standing space for trucks, trailers and cars will be expanded.
The port’s first shore power system is also under construction.