JOC Staff | Feb 25, 2013 12:00PM EST
Feeder ship on the Kohlbrand river.Germany’s Port of Hamburg today reported that about 675,000 20-foot-equivalent unit containers were handled between Hamburg and Russian ports in 2012, increasing 13.3 percent year-over-year.
The positive trend was driven by Russia’s decision to join the World Trade Organization, resulting in associated simplifications in commercial law, as well as the dismantling of trade barriers.
“We’re particularly pleased that Hamburg managed to raise its share of container traffic in St. Petersburg to 25.3 percent last year,” said Axel Mattern, executive board member of Port of Hamburg Marketing, in a written statement. “That’s 1.6 percentage points more than in 2011, which indicates enlarged market share within the North Range ports for this route.”
Just under 95 percent of the total direct traffic between Russia and Hamburg are handled via the Port of St. Petersburg. The Russian Baltic Sea port handled 2.5 million TEUs in 2012, rising 6.7 percent year-over-year. Alongside St. Petersburg, the Russian Baltic Sea ports of Kaliningrad and Ust-Luga, as well as Arkhangelsk and Murmansk on the Arctic Ocean, are called by ships sailing from Hamburg.
