In the first nine months of last year, the handling of suction cargo at the Port of Hamburg increased by more than 40%.
The positive development in bulk cargo handling can be attributed to many sub-sectors. Agribulk achieved an increase of 18.6% in the first six months, handling 3.5mt (million tonnes). Liquid bulk also performed well with an increase of 18.1% and 5.3mt, while grab cargo was almost at the same level with 10.2 million tonnes.
In detail, the picture is well structured. Despite the volatile economic situation and the tense geopolitical situation, the handling of bulk goods remained stable. In the first nine months, grain exports in particular developed positively with 1.4mt and an increase of 15.6%.
At 951,000 tonnes, the remaining suction cargo grew by 42.1%. Among the dry bulk commodities, fertilizer exports stood out with an increase of 10.1% and 2.2mt. In total, exports of dry bulk goods increased by 7.8% compared to the same period last year. A total of 7.1mt of dry bulk were shipped.
Imports of dry bulk were somewhat more subdued in the first nine months of last year. They totalled 20.3mt, a decrease of 2.9%. It is noticeable that coal imports in particular fell in the first nine months of the year. This is mainly due to Germany’s energy policy, which is currently being restructured to focus more on alternative energies. Imports of coal and coke fell by more than a quarter to 3.1mt. In contrast, imports of oilseeds developed positively. With an increase of 10.0%, imports of oilseeds reached 2.2mt.
The final figures for 2023 are not yet available. However, no major changes are expected in the fourth quarter. It can therefore be assumed that bulk handling will remain relatively stable throughout 2023.