Seaborne cargo handling between Australia and the Port of Hamburg increased 23.7 per cent to 1.7 million tonnes in 2018. Container traffic with Australia increased 19.8 per cent to 68,000 TEU (20-foot standard containers). The figures mean Australia has now risen from 40th to 32nd position in terms of Hamburg’s container trading partners.
Hamburg port as a hub
Expanded liner service offers, which will grow in 2019, played a key role in this development. The French CMA CGM Group launched the New North Europe Med Oceania’ Service, a new container service linking Europe with Australia and the Indian Ocean and improved transit times for direct weekly connections in late September. Around 14 ships now call at 19 ports. “This extensive port coverage gives customers maximum flexibility. The Port of Hamburg is an important hub especially for our intermodal transports and feeder traffic to the Scandinavian and Baltic regions,” said Peter Wolf, Managing Director of CMA CGM (Deutschland) GmbH.
Growing Australian economic output
The Australian market is undergoing continuous growth in economic output and can expect an increase of 1.7 per cent in 2019. Exports of raw materials such as coal and iron ore dominate foreign trade, according to the German Trade and Invest (GTAI) and are likely to experience an upswing by 2024. Increased transhipment of maritime goods between the Port of Hamburg and Australia may result in a free trade agreement between the European Union and Australia. Negotiations have been underway since July 2018. The expected upturn in Australia’s raw material exports could also lead to additional transhipment volumes for the universal Port of Hamburg.
