Despite the difficult geopolitical situation and the slowdown in the economy, the Port of Hamburg showed strong growth in the first half of 2025 and managed to regain market share from Western European competitors. Sea freight turnover increased by 3.6% to 57.8 million tonnes, primarily due to a jump in the container segment: 4.2 million TEU were handled (+9.3%), including imports that increased by 11.6% and exports by 6.9%. Thanks to new liner services, the port has strengthened its role in international maritime logistics, especially in the directions of Asia and the Baltic Sea.
According to the port administration, the largest increase was recorded in trade with China (+10.5% to 1.2 million TEU), India (+41.6%) and Malaysia (+93.2%), as well as with the Baltic countries: Denmark (+36%), Finland (+20.1%) and Poland (+28.8%). At the same time, traffic with the USA showed a noticeable decline (-19.3%), which is associated with Washington’s trade policy.
The growth in transportation was also supported by new vessel calls: the number of calls by large container ships exceeded 285 (+51.6%), including 127 mega-vessels with a capacity of over 24 thousand TEU. The positive dynamics were also reflected in land transportation: container rail and road flows grew by 2.2% (to 2.6 million TEU), and transshipment by 23.8% (to 1.6 million TEU). The port authorities note that infrastructure modernization, including the expansion of the water area and the turning circle in Waltershof, will help to consolidate long-term growth.