THE uptick in sea freight volumes between Hamburg and Russian ports despite ongoing economic sanctions was warmly welcomed by the 240 guests attending the Port Evening in St Petersburg organised by the Port of Hamburg Marketing representative office located in the Russian city.
Hamburg's 'Port Evening' in St Petersburg strengthens sea freight ties THE uptick in sea freight volumes between Hamburg and Russian ports despite ongoing economic sanctions was warmly welcomed by the 240 guests attending the Port Evening in St Petersburg organised by the Port of Hamburg Marketing representative office located in the Russian city. Container volume between Hamburg and Russian ports on the Baltic rose by 2.3 per cent in the first half of the year to 216,000 TEU. The event brought together high-ranking representatives from the Russian transport and logistics sector and partners from the Hamburg metropolitan region. In numerous discussions, the focus was primarily on the questions: When will sanctions end; and will the Russia's foreign trade recover. Hamburg and St Petersburg have been twinned since 1957 in a city partnership, and later also by a port partnership. "For many years Hamburg and St Petersburg have cultivated successful cultural, economic, scientific and social contacts. Our aim must be to strengthen and further develop these through intensive dialogue and constructive cooperation," said joint CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM) Ingo Egloff. Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the City of Hamburg's Ministry of Economics, Transport and Innovation, Andreas Rieckhof, urged those present at the event to mount more joint projects and to expand existing alliances. In advance of the Port Evening, representatives of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik C Steinweg (Sud-West-Terminal), Lubecker Hafen-Gesellschaft and Seehafen Kiel joined Mr Rieckhof, and deputy German Consul-General and staff of Port of Hamburg Marketing Stefan Kordasch to visit the Universal Port of Bronka, St Petersburg's new deepwater port. General manager of the Container Terminal, Stefan Wilkens explained plans for its further development to the visitors, and the strategic significance of the new handling facility for future freight flows between the Russian federation and Germany. Starting operations at the end of 2015, the port of Bronka has an annual handling capacity of 1.45 million TEU plus 200,000 units at its ro-ro terminal. For Dr Wilkens, existing contacts with the port of Hamburg and companies in the metropolitan region constitute a "superb basis for future alliances and joint projects," the HHM statement said.
