HAMBURG PORT REPORTS DROP IN CONTAINER THROUGHPUT IN 2022

The Port of Hamburg reported lower cargo throughput in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period in 2021. Specifically, the German port handled 6.3 million TEUs from January to September 2022, a decrease of 2.7% compared with the same period last year.

Both imports and exports at the port of Hamburg fell 2.7% to 3.2 million TEU and 3.1 million TEU, respectively. During the first nine months of the year, the Port of Hamburg reported handling 5.6 million TEUs of cargo containers and 726,000 TEUs of empty containers.

Meanwhile, the total volume of goods transported by sea through German ports was 91.8 million tons, down 4.3% year-on-year.

Axel Mattern, CEO of HHM (Port of Hamburg Marketing), points out: “Due to prolonged congestion off the coast of Hamburg, among other ports, global supply chain disruptions are the leading cause to a decrease in output."

He went on to add: "In other European ports, this trend became evident in the middle of the year. While we still performed well when compared in Europe, in 3nd quarter, the global trend was affected the port of Hamburg."

Furthermore, in the first nine months of 2022, the number of container ships arriving at the Port of Hamburg decreased by 7.4% compared to the same period last year. However, the arrival of Megamax ships with container capacity from 18,000 to 24,000 TEU increased by 5.5%. Overall, 172 ships of this capacity called at the Port of Hamburg.

“The larger increase in the number of Megamax vessels clearly shows that we really need to adjust the channel. Now the Federal government tends and perpetuates this. Mattern emphasized that any decrease in new draft would be counterproductive for the Port of Hamburg.

The port noted that the market will remain volatile for the rest of the year due to the Ukraine war, inflation in Europe and supply chain disruptions caused by port congestion.