Throughput in the Port of Hamburg continues on its growth path

• Container throughput increases by 8.4 percent to 6.3 million TEU
• Seaborne cargo throughput grows 3.4 percent to 86.8 million tonnes
• Container hinterland transport on stable growth path

Throughput at the Port of Hamburg remains on a robust course after the third quarter of 2025. While US container transports continued to decline, the trade areas Asia and Europe continued their positive development.

Container throughput continuing to grow, bulk cargo throughput stable

Seaborne cargo throughput grew to 86.8 million tonnes in the months from January to September 2025 (+3.4 percent year-on-year). As in the first six months of the year, this growth was driven by a positive trend in container throughput, which rose to 6.3 million standard containers (TEU) (+8.4 percent). On a per-tonne basis, containerised general cargo throughput grew to 61.3 million tonnes (+5.4 percent).

Bulk cargo throughput was almost on a par with the same period of the previous year (-0.8 percent to 24.6 million tonnes). Positive impetus in the three months of the quarter was provided in particular by grab cargo (+9.4 percent compared to the same quarter of the previous year), driven by stronger coal and ore imports (+16.4 percent and +3.8 percent respectively).

Growth with markets in Asia and Europe compensates for decline with USA

Growth in container throughput in the first three quarters continued to be driven by the Asia (+11.0 percent year-on-year) and Europe (+14.0 percent) trade areas. Container traffic with the USA continued to be affected by complications in trade, and this was reflected in a corresponding decline in throughput figures (-23.9 percent to 395,000 TEU). In the Asian region, by contrast, trade with China continued growing steadily to 1.8 million TEU (+7.9 percent). Malaysia (+89.8 percent to 273,000 TEU) continued to benefit from a growing hub function in Southeast Asia. Trade with India (+45.5 percent to 214,000 TEU) also consolidated its high growth rate and thus its importance for throughput in the Port of Hamburg. In intra-European trade, Denmark (+37.1 percent to 147,000 TEU), Finland (+26.5 percent to 195,000 TEU) and Poland (+18.9 percent to 276,000 TEU) are stand-out results.

Hinterland container throughput on the rise

In the third quarter, additional liner services with Southern Europe, the Mediterranean region and South America called at the Port of Hamburg for the first time, which had a positive impact on container throughput. Even after nine months, box throughput in the transhipment segment managed to maintain the growth of the first half of the year (+22.5 percent to 2.4 million TEU, compared to the same period of the previous year). The proportion of containers transported by rail remained at the same high level as the previous year (-0.5 percent, 2.0 million TEU). There was a continuing trend towards high capacity utilisation of container trains. Overall, the Port of Hamburg’s container hinterland transports increased to 3.9 million TEU (+1.4 percent).