The handling of bulk cargo, containers and conventional breakbulk bound for Lithuania was up. However, ferry traffic to and from Scandinavia and Russia reported declining volumes.

Ostuferhafen is reportedly the strongest facility in the Port of Kiel, handling 2.3 million tons last year, 11% more than in the previous year.

Regular container handling began in the Ostuferhafen in March 2009. The new container business is based on the import of ferro-alloys, which are high-value supplements for the west European steel industry and reach Kiel via Riga from Kazakhstan.

“There are good prospects for a future expansion of container business at the Ostuferhafen,” said Dirk Claus, MD of the Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co KG).

In 2009, the port took a brand-new mobile port crane into service which can also be used for the handling of project and heavy load cargo. The Kiel-Klaipeda liner shipping service also posted strong growth in cargo volumes. The introduction of Lithuania’s biggest and most modern RoPax ferry, “Lisco Maxima”, in May had a positive influence on that growth.

Dirk Claus said “the new ship has been well-received by the market and is making an important contribution to efforts to relocate traffic from road to sea”.

Dirk Claus,  said, “Our partners and customers also responded well to the difficult economic situation. Kiel can already boast a broad pallet of activity and that is what made the almost balanced 2009 cargo handling result possible. In addition the successful launch of container services has made the port even more versatile than before”.

Kiel was in fact even able to show a small increase in the passenger transport sector, handling 1.88 million passengers in 2009 against 1.85 million in 2008 as the port’s significance as a sea tourist hub also continues to grow.