News
21.01.09 - LĂĽbeck cargo handling dips slightly in 2008
LHG: fewer trailers, cars and paper; more containers and passengers
The Port of LĂĽbeck handled 31.74 million tons in 2008 - 2.7 percent, or 900,000 tons, less than in 2007 when 32.6 million tons were turned round. Total handling the year before, in 2006, was 30.5 million tons.
The reason for the port’s first small handling decline since 2001 was the general economic downturn, which was particularly noticeable in the final quarter of 2008. Despite that, Lübeck maintained its position as Germany's biggest Baltic seaport by far.
The facilities of the LĂĽbecker Hafen-Gesellschaft mbH (LHG) accounted for 28.5 million tons of the 31.74 million tons handled last year, a drop of 2.5 percent over 2007.
Main handling declines at LHG’s five terminals were in unaccompanied trucks and trailers, in the import and export of new vehicles and in the paper sector. Increased handling was posted in accompanied trucks and trailers and in the container and passenger sectors.
The number of unaccompanied trailers, a sector which among other things transports production parts for the crisis-ridden automotive industry, dropped by 6 percent to 434,000. The number of accompanied trailers rose by 1 percent to 422,000.
About 157,000 export and import vehicles were handled by LHG in 2008, 22 percent fewer than in 2007. The main reason for this was a general decline in the sales of new vehicles.
The number of containers rose by 4 percent to 96,000 (about 150,000 TEUs). Paper volume dropped by about five percent to 3.57 million tons.
The number of ferry passengers rose by about 3 percent to 360,000. Lübeck’s cruise shipping business is also taking off again: there were 12 calls by cruise ships in 2008 and nearly 30 calls are expected this year.
The strongest terminal in terms of handling, as always, was the Skandinavienkai with 21.5 million tons, followed by the Nordlandkai with 3.2 million, the Schlutup Terminal with 1.7 million and the Konstinkai which handled almost 600,000 tons.
“Before things can get better again, we have to reckon with further negative effects on the Port of Lübeck from the economic crisis”, said LHG Managing Director Heinrich Beckmann. “As well as co-operating closely with our customers, we are countering these developments through strict cost management and by stepping up our acquisition efforts”. Port employee working schedules also needed to be as flexible as possible, he said. Commented Beckmann: “we will of course take all the appropriate and necessary investment and expansion steps required to secure the future of the LHG”.
