The Port of Hamburg's overall results for the first nine months of 2012 have demonstrated year-on-year growth in exports but a negative result for imports, pushing overall throughout down.
Total throughput for the period came to 98.1m tonnes, the Port Authority revealed, down 0.8 per cent on the prior-year period, with general cargo throughput up 0.2 per cent to 69.2m tonnes an bulk cargo down 3.3 per cent to 28.8m tonnes.
Positive movement for general cargo was largely the result of growth in loaded container handling, with 5.8m TEUs representing an increase of 1.8 per cent, the majority of which were destined for export.
Although the port had to book an 8.3 per cent reverse in throughput in the Asia container trade at 3.6m TEU, container throughput in all other trades still proved to be on a growth path.
The downturn in the Asia trade was primarily caused by a problematical economic environment in Europe and the cooling off of China’s foreign trade, which weakened container throughput with China to 2m TEU – down by 11.6 per cent.
All other container trades of the Port of Hamburg turned in positive throughput results for the first nine months of the year. At 2.1m TEU, 7.3 per cent more containers were transported between Hamburg and European ports than in the same period of last year, while at 856,000 TEU, throughput in the America trade grew by 16.8 per cent.
'In the first three quarters of the year the Port of Hamburg mainly profited from the strong trend in exports, which not only ensured a steady result on container throughput, but also growing export quantities in the bulk goods sector,' noted Claudia Roller, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing. 'Against the background of a cooling down of the economy in Europe and other parts of the world, for the Port of Hamburg this year we reckon with total throughput of around 132m tonnes. In 2012, total container throughput will be of the order of 9m TEU.
'For the continued positive development of the port, the implementation of outstanding infrastructural projects, e.g. the deepening of the navigation channel on the Lower and Outer Elbe, is the top priority,' Roller added.
