Around 8,000 ship calls per year, almost 300 berths on quay walls for seagoing vessels totalling 43 kilometres in length, around 1,300 freight trains per week, 4 modern container terminals, three cruise terminals and around 50 specialised in handling facilities for RoRo, general cargo shipments and bulk goods of all kinds, as well as around 7,300 logistics companies within the city limits. That is why the port of Hamburg is one of the most flexible and efficient universal ports in the world.

126.3 million tonnes of cargo passed over the quaysides of Germany's largest seaport in 2020. This included some 8.5 million standard containers (TEU), which makes Hamburg the third largest container port in Europe and places it 18th in the list of the world's largest container ports.

The port is connected by some 100 liner services to the vast majority of the world's more than 1,000 seaports. Additional ports can be served via transhipment. 126.3 million tons of freight crossed the quay walls of Germany's largest seaport in 2020. This included 8.5 million standard containers (TEU).

State-of-the-art cargo handling technology and data communication systems, an efficient transport infrastructure and efficient feeder and hinterland connections ensure that cargo is exchanged with partners all over the world. The geographical location of the port and the outstanding performance of its companies make the Port of Hamburg the leading foreign trade hub in Germany. At the interface of international transport chains, it also fulfils an essential function as a hub for its European neighbours and international trading partners. Germany's largest seaport is thus of immense importance for the efficient supply of the European inland markets.

Although Hamburg's largest trading partner is China, with 2.4 million TEU of boxes‘ flow in 2020, the port also serves as an important hub for the Baltic Sea region. Feeders deliver cargo to all countries in the Baltic Sea region, while the road and rail network serves both the German and the entire European hinterland. The Port of Hamburg railway transports 46,6 million tonnes of freight annually on its network including 2.58 million TEU (in 2020). This makes Hamburg by far the most important railway port in Europe. In 2020, rail's share of land-side hinterland traffic in Hamburg was 47 per cent in the container transport sector and 50.7 per cent in terms of tonnage transported. About 200 freight trains with over 5,000 railcars are dispatched quickly and efficiently every day over 300 kilometres of the Port of Hamburg Railway‘s track network.

The port is managed by the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) on behalf of the city state. It is responsible for the development and maintenance of the port infrastructure on the water and land side, as well as for all issues relating to shipping safety, the port railway, the real estate industry and economic development of the port.

Photos (copyright): HHM / Hasenpusch Productions.