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The half-year results of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG show a positive trend: The Port of Kiel handled 3.8 million tons of cargo in the first half of the year, two percent more than in the same period last year. Thus, the northern German port continues its positive growth development of recent years despite a general economic weakness.
(Kiel) “There are positive signals that we take from the first half of the year,” says Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG, “Especially in currently rather challenging economic times, it is a reassuring signal for our company that we continue to see a growth trend in large parts of our handling business.”
Volume Development in the Port of Kiel
The daily ferry connections to Scandinavia are among the important transport and freight axes between the state capital and its Scandinavian neighbors – but they are also seismographs for national economic developments. Thus, the weak Swedish economy and modest economic growth in Norway in the first half of the year have also impacted the freight developments of the two ferry connections, which recorded slight declines overall.
In contrast, the freight development at the busiest terminal in Kiel, the Ostuferhafen, is consistently positive: On the route to Lithuania, the growth trend from the last quarters of 2023 continues with a significant increase in the first half of 2024. With a slightly reduced schedule but larger deployed ferries, the freight activity on the busiest ferry route between Germany and the Baltic States is developing promisingly. The positive trend in paper handling from the previous year also continues: With significant volume increases, this freight business remains a successful model for Kiel. Just at the beginning of the year, additional storage capacities for Swedish customers were created at the Kiel Ostuferhafen to respond to the positive development from the port side.
Handling of Bulk Goods Gains Importance
The handling of bulk goods at the outer terminals of the Port of Kiel is also gaining importance: With a low double-digit increase in the handling of construction materials, not only is the high demand from the local construction industry evident, but also the significance of the Port of Kiel for local and regional construction projects.
Photo: © Port of Kiel
