Hamburg Q1 container volume down 4 percent to 1.8 million TEU

Overall container volume at Germany’s Port of Hamburg slipped 4 percent to 1.8 million 20-foot equivalent units in the first quarter, but loaded containers posted a 1.6 percent increase. Resumption of suspended Asian services should boost volume later this year, the port said. Claudia Roller, the port’s marketing CEO, said first-quarter figures don’t reflect the resumption since April of several carriers’ Asian services. China accounts for one-third of the containers handled at Hamburg.

Hamburg’s first-quarter container traffic with Asia was down 2.1 percent to 1.1 million TEUs while North American traffic rose 9.2 percent to 182,000 TEUs and European feeder services, much of which involve Asia traffic, fell 12.9 percent to 470,000 TEUs.

Overall volume, including bulk and breakbulk cargoes, rose 4.6 percent to 28.56 million tons during the first quarter. March traffic jumped 10.7 percent to 10.5 million tons. It was the first time Hamburg’s volume has topped 10 million tons since November 2008.

Source: www.joc.com