Hamburg's first half volume up 4.3pc to 3.7 million TEU

THE German Port of Hamburg's box traffic was up 4.3 per cent in the first half year on year to 3.7 million TEU, "the best result of container handling since December 2008," said the port authority.

Overall Hamburg handled 58.6 million tons of sea freight in the first half of 2010, an increase of 8.1 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Container traffic with North and South America reached a total of 380,000 TEU, up by 11.6 per cent. Asia traffic amounted to 2.2 million TEU, up 6.9 per cent. Container handling with African countries rose to 96,000 TEU, an increase of 14.7 per cent.

The result was partly attributed to a strong growth in imports, which reached a total of 33.7 million tons, up 12.3 per cent. Exports hit 24.9 million tons, up 2.9 per cent year on year.

The volume of general cargo rose by five per cent to 38.8 million tons and the bulk cargo volumes grew by 14.8 per cent to 19.7 million tons in the first six months of the year.

"The pleasing cargo handling figures confirm the clear upwards trend in cargo throughput of the Port of Hamburg," said Claudia Roller, CEO of the Port of Hamburg Marketing in a statement from port officials.
(Source:www.schednet.com)