THE German Port of Hamburg's trade with its top containerised cargo trade partner, Austria, hit a record 296,000 TEU in 2016. Overall, 42 per cent of Austrian container volume is handled on services via Hamburg.
Manager of the Port of Hamburg Representative Office in Vienna, Alexander Till, is confident the growth trend will continue this year: "Following many discussions with Austrian decision-makers in the first quarter, one may say that 2017 too will again be a successful year for the Port of Hamburg in Austria."
He bases this view on the fact that an increasing number of decision-makers are realising that 98 per cent of shipments to and from Austria via Hamburg are being handled by rail. "At a time when ecological footprint per container is of growing importance, this gives the Port of Hamburg a crucial competitive advantage," said Mr Till.
"Its central geographical location makes the Austrian market hotly contested among several European ports. In recent years, the southern ports, especially, have managed to increase their market shares. Even in this challenging market environment, the Port of Hamburg has invariably proved able to defend its dominant role," he asserted.
Among the contributory factors are its excellent rail links, the dense departure frequency of daily container block trains, as well as the Port of Hamburg's high number of direct worldwide liner services.
