Hamburg Port Registers Decline in Container and General Cargo Throughput
Hamburg, August 14 – The Port of Hamburg has reported a significant downturn in both container and general cargo throughput since the beginning of the year. The most pronounced decline was observed in container handling, with various factors ranging from adverse weather conditions to global political events contributing to the decrease.
In the first half of 2026, a total of four million containers were handled in Hamburg, marking a four percent reduction compared to the same period last year. Trade with China, the USA, and Great Britain saw particularly sharp declines. Conversely, there was an increase in container traffic between Hamburg and Singapore, Finland, and India.
Reasons Behind the Decline: Winter, Construction, and Geopolitics
The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) cited an unusually severe winter at the beginning of the year as one of the primary reasons for the reduced container throughput. Additionally, ongoing modernization efforts at the terminals have temporarily decreased available capacity. The port also recorded a drop in general cargo, with mineral oil imports declining due to the Iran conflict and steel exports also experiencing a decrease.
Hapag-Lloyd and HHLA Affected by Middle East Crisis
The Middle East crisis has not only impacted port throughput but also Germany’s largest container shipping company, Hapag-Lloyd. In the first half of the year, the company reported a loss of 148 million Euros, with the crisis alone costing nearly 520 million Euros. This was primarily due to higher fuel prices resulting from increased oil costs. Rolf Habben Jansen, CEO of Hapag-Lloyd, stated, “It also cost money to transport goods from the Persian Gulf overland.”
Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) also experienced a significant decline. In the first half of the year, less than 2.8 million containers were handled at the port operator’s terminals, a decrease of over seven percent compared to the previous year. This was partly due to shipping lines like Hapag-Lloyd withdrawing some of their liner services. HHLA’s profit plummeted by approximately one-third, with the company ultimately slipping into the red.
A mixed picture emerged from Hamburg’s main competitors in Northern Europe: Antwerp recorded a similar decline to Hamburg, while Rotterdam managed to increase its throughput overall.
Hapag-Lloyd Reports Losses in First Half of 2026
Germany’s largest container shipping company, Hapag-Lloyd, is feeling the financial repercussions of the shipping crisis in the Middle East.
Hamburg Port Operator HHLA Reports Reduced Throughput
Poor figures for Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA): Container throughput has significantly decreased since the beginning of this year.
Program Focus
This topic was covered in NDR 90,3 | NDR 90,3 Aktuell | August 14, 2026 | 08:00 Uhr.
Keywords: Hamburg Port
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Source: NDR.de Hamburg
