Rail-based container transport in Germany has increased by approximately 85.9 per cent from just under 4.2 million TEU to around 7.7 million TEU between 2005 and 2022.
The Port of Hamburg announced the results following a research carried out by the German Federal Logistics and Mobility Office (BALM) to analyse container transport evolution by water and rail.
This growth is largely attributed to the rising proportion of rail freight in the overall modal split.
Similarly, Bremerhaven experienced an uptick in rail freight’s modal share, albeit with comparatively lower absolute growth in container transportation by rail.
On German inland waterways, container volumes exhibited a gradual increase from approximately 2.1 million TEU in 2005 to just under 2.6 million TEU in 2017, before gradually declining to just under 2.0 million TEU in 2022.
READ: Port of Hamburg ends 2023 at 8 million TEU
According to the port, the decline began in 2018 due to prolonged periods of low water levels on German rivers, particularly affecting navigation on the Rhine, especially in southern Germany.
This, coupled with a notable rise in the cost of inland waterway transport, prompted a shift to alternative modes of transportation.
Despite efforts, the volume lost in the hinterland of key seaports like Rotterdam and Antwerp, crucial for inland container transport due to their strategic location, could not always be fully offset by inland waterway transport, reported the port.
Earlier this year, Ben Buchele Elektromotorenwerke GmbH delivered two electric motors to Reintjes for installation on a hybrid dredger at the Port of Hamburg.
