Sector development

In 2021, global container throughput more than recovered from its pandemic-related slump. According to the latest Drewry estimates, however, full-year growth of 6.5 % was not as strong as expected in mid-2021, when global throughput growth of 8.2 % was considered feasible. In addition to new virus variants and rising inflation, experts cite the ongoing disruptions to supply chains and bottlenecks at ports around the world as the main reasons for slower than anticipated growth.

The noticeable upturn in throughput activity was observed in all shipping regions, albeit to different extents. The Asia shipping region, which has the highest volume of throughput globally, reported growth of 5.4 %. China’s ports recorded slightly weaker growth of 5.2 % due to delays, congested harbours and new COVID-19 outbreaks.

In Europe, the total volume of containers handled at ports rose by 4.6 %, with growth driven by the container ports of North-West Europe in particular, where throughput was up 6.4 %. As a result of bottlenecks at the leading ports, Wilhelmshaven, Zeebrugge and Dunkirk served as valuable alternatives and benefited from the strong demand for handling capacity.

The trend among the major container ports of the North Range, as well as the largest ports of the Baltic Sea, was mixed. In the Port of Hamburg, throughput volume in the reporting period was slightly above the previous year at 8.7 million TEU (previous year: 8.5 million TEU). Europe’s largest container port, Rotterdam, handled 15.3 million TEU in 2021, 6.6 % more containers than in the previous year. In Antwerp, container throughput stagnated at 12 million TEU due to the pandemic.The ports of Bremen, on the other hand, recovered and handled 5.2 % more containers than in 2020.

The most recent estimates from November 2021 – when the effects of the fourth coronavirus wave could not yet be fully foreseen – indicate a noticeable catch-up effect in all modes of freight traffic in Germany for 2021 as a result of the macroeconomic upturn. Transport volumes are expected to be up by 2.1 % year-on-year, while traffic performance – transport volume multiplied by the distance travelled – is likely to rise by as much as 4.6 %. The renewed increase is reflected across all modes of transport. Road transport volumes are likely to have been 1.7 % higher than in the previous year. The growth in traffic performance is expected to be even stronger with a year-on-year increase of 4.5 %. Rail transport volumes are likely to achieve robust growth of 6.3 %. Traffic performance will probably rise by an even more significant 7.1 %. Robust growth is also expected for intermodal transport. Volumes are forecast to be 6.4 % up and performance 5.8 % up on the previous year.