The northern German port of Bremerhaven saw its market share drop by almost 9% in 2022, more significant than other major European hubs.
Both container and conventional volumes have not recovered since, resulting in an oversupply of labour at the ports in the state of Bremen. Some port workers are now on "kurzarbeit", which refers to reduced working hours at a reduced wage, with public subsidies covering all or part of the lost pay. In this way, workers are retained until business activity picks up again.
Deutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung (DVZ) reports uncertainty about when volumes will return to the ports, with some predicting container traffic only returning towards the end of the year. Marcus Bergmann, Managing Director of Gesamthafenbetrieb im Lande Bremen (GHBG), which employs 1050 workers, sees this as a serious financial problem for the employer. GHBG has more than 600 workers currently on "kurzarbeit".
In addition, DVZ reports that the port industry is concerned the rebound will be less than expected if carriers do not receive clarity on the expansion projects planned for Bremerhaven. The expansion includes 2.8 kilometres of quay renovation, dredging along the quay wall and outer Weser to accommodate the new generation of large container ships.
While funding has been secured, the project's planning phase will not begin until next year. Which means it could be years before the dredging is completed. According to DVZ, Uwe Beckmeyer, the chairman of the Wirtschaftsverbands Weser (Weser Economic Association), believes the loss of not being able to receive these mega ships would mean 9,000 TEU lost per call per week, and 450,000 TEU extrapolated over the year. "If we don't get these ships, then we have a problem," warned Beckmeyer.
The German news outlet adds that Bremen and Lower Saxony need to come together. Bremen is yet to support the deepening of the Unterweser Nord (Lower Wesser North) until Brake, which Lower Saxony proposed. Without this, Beckmeyer states, Lower Saxony will not participate.
Bremerhaven is Europe's fourth-largest port and a leading transhipment hub for intermodal export and import cargo. It is located directly at the North Sea, providing easier access for large container vessels than its sister port Hamburg.
