Port of Kiel grows strongly in H1 2021

News 14 Aug 2021 by WCN Editorial

Traffic increased 8.25% year-on-year with ferry-borne truck and trailer loads up by 12.7%

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In total, 3.66 Mt of freight were handled in Kiel in the first half of the year. Dr Dirk Claus, Hafen Kiel’s Managing Director, noted that the pandemic has had a structural impact on the port business. In cross-border traffic, for example, the number of unaccompanied cargo units increased by a good quarter. Of the 100,000 trucks and trailers handled, more than 50% were unaccompanied for the first time. The largest increases were recorded on the routes to Gothenburg and to Klaipeda.

The strongest part of the port was the Ostuferhafen with the forest products and logistics centre, with nine sailings per week by DFDS. On the Kiel-Oslo route, COLOR MAGIC and COLOR FANTASY have been operating again since June, alongside COLOR CARRIER.

Claus added: “The relaxations of the Corona regulations were decisive for the cautious resumption of maritime tourism in the Baltic Sea region. In Kiel we have observed a positive development in passenger numbers since the end of May.”

By the end of July, the port had already recorded 60 calls by cruise ships with around 100,000 passengers without any major incidents. “Under the current circumstances, this is a good result. Compared to pre-pandemic times, we have achieved slightly more than half the number of vessel calls. In the coming year we then expect a further normalisation.”