The volume of goods carried between the Port of Hamburg and the hinterland by inland waterway grew 1.5 per cent to hit 12.2m tonnes in 2008, well above the German average which saw inland waterway volumes drop 1.6 per cent.
Container numbers carried grew 29 per cent for the year to 119,000 TEUs (twenty-foot standard containers), with the most important goods carried including agricultural products, gases, coal and oil.
'In spite of everything, internal waterway transport at the Port of Hamburg has managed to expand its share of the market in 2008,' said Sebastian Doderer of Hafen Hamburg Marketing. 'This shows that the port and the transport industry are going in the right direction, with a view to making hinterland transport environmentally friendly. Adequate and reliable shipping conditions on the inland waterway network are an essential basis for the continuation of this development.'
