The port of Hamburg is heading towards its annual target of 8.7 million TEUs and hopes to end 2021 with a slight increase compared to the traffic it handled during the pandemic year.
The normalization of scheduled services and strong consumer demand are contributing to a stable growth trend. The completion of the first phase of dredging work on the Elbe has also had a positive impact on traffic, allowing the port to accommodate larger ships more frequently. In the first half of 2021, as many as 107 Ultra Large containerships with a capacity of between 18 and 24,000 TEUs called at the port.
Between January and June volumes were up 5.5% to 4.3 million TEUs. This is a remarkable result. However, we should bear in mind that in the same period in 2020 the port recorded a drop in containerized traffic of 12.4%.
Translation by Giles Foster
