Port of Hamburg container volumes down 5.1 percent to 8.3 million TEU in 2022
In 2022, Hamburg terminals handled 119.9 million tons, or 6.8 percent less than in the previous year, according to the company's release, according to the company's release. With growth of 11.2 percent to 1.4 million tons, the trend for conventional general cargo was positive. Yet handling of general cargo was 5.8 percent down at 83.7 million tons. At 36.2 million tons, throughput of bulk cargoes in the port was 8.9 percent lower.
Lower volumes of bulk cargo are both directly and indirectly attributable to stiffer sanctions against Russia. Falls occurred in both suction cargo - down 6.0 percent at 6.0 million tons and grab cargo - 6.3 percent lower at 20.2 million tons - as well as liquid cargo - down 15.2 percent at 10.0 million tons.
A total of 8.3 million TEU - Twenty-foot Equivalent Units - crossed quay walls in the Port of Hamburg last year, or 5.1 percent fewer than in the previous year. A quarterly comparison reveals a positive trend in the first half. Down by 12.3 percent, throughput fell steeply in the fourth quarter, however. At 4.2 million, seaborne container imports were consequently 6.1 percent lower. For comparison, 4.1 million TEU were exported, a 4.1 percent fall on the previous year.
At 294,000 TEU, throughput with Poland was up by almost 25 percent, putting the country in fourth place. Throughput trends with Finland were similarly positive, a 22.3 percent gain to 213,000 TEU putting the country into sixth place. There was a further positive signal from Canada, with throughput up by 6.6 percent to at least 196,000 TEU and advancing the country from twelfth into ninth place.
In 2022 China again headed the list of Top Ten partner countries with 2.46 million TEU - down by 3.8 percent. The USA followed in second place with 605,000 TEU, representing a fall of 2.1 percent. Nevertheless, the total number of loaded boxes in container traffic with the USA rose by 0.6 percent to 540,000 TEU. Singapore retained a steady third place with 423,000 TEU - down 1.1 percent.
Malaysia climbed to thirteenth position with a 10.7 percent increase to 177,000 TEU, while Sri Lanka took seventeenth place with one of 8.8 percent to 128,000 TEU. While in the previous year Russia had been in fourth position as a top partner, in 2022 throughput of around 80,000 TEU still sufficed for twenty-seventh place.
With capacities of over 18,000 TEU, vessels in the ‘Megamax’ class made 234 calls in Hamburg, or six percent more than last year.
A five-percent increase also occurred in calls by the second largest category – vessels between 14,000 and 17,999 TEU. Yet those by ships with between 10,000 and 13,999 TEU decreased by 16.6 percent. The total number of calls by ‘large containerships’ therefore fell by 1.2 percent to 486.
Calls by medium-sized containerships with capacities of between 8,000 and 9,999 TEU, or VLCCs - Very Large Container Ships, grew by eleven percent. In the second half, especially, it was only small containerships and feeder vessels that were arriving in the port less often.
Closer scrutiny of the container throughput totals reveals that transhipment trades were over 90 percent responsible for the decline there. Throughput dropped by 12.1 percent to 2.90 million TEU. Hinterland trades remained almost stable, with volume down by only 0.9 percent to 5.4 million TEU.
Rail retained its lead in the modal split on hinterland services. More than half of all containers were still being shifted by rail. At 50.5 percent - down 1 percentage point, the overall result may be slightly negative. Shifting 2.7 million TEU, however, rail remains the top mode of transport for the hinterland. Despite the 2.8 percent downturn, in this segment rail achieved the second-best annual result in its history.
Tonnage totals for the modal split for hinterland services reveal that rail actually achieved a 1.1 percentage-point advance, transporting 53.9 percent of freight. After 2021 and 2019, at 47.3 million tons, this was the third highest total ever for rail.
Simultaneously, all players in the Port of Hamburg will actively be working in parallel on its transformation into an efficient, climate-neutral and state-of the-art port.
