Container Segment
|
in € million |
1–3 | 2018 |
1–3 | 2017 |
Change |
|||
|
Revenue |
191.7 |
182.8 |
4.9 % |
|||
|
EBITDA |
53.1 |
52.9 |
0.4 % |
|||
|
EBITDA margin in % |
27.7 |
28.9 |
- 1.2 pp |
|||
|
EBIT |
32.7 |
31.9 |
2.6 % |
|||
|
EBIT margin in % |
17.1 |
17.4 |
- 0.3 pp |
|||
|
Container throughput in thousand TEU |
1,824 |
1,778 |
2.6 % |
A total of 1,824 thousand standard containers (TEU) were handled at the HHLA container terminals in the first quarter of 2018 – 2.6 % more than in the same period of the previous year (previous year: 1,778 thousand TEU). Container throughput at HHLA’s three container terminals was raised by 2.2 % to 1,744 thousand TEU (previous year: 1,707 thousand TEU). This slight growth was mainly driven by the 8.9 % increase in Asia traffic. There was an opposing decline in lower-margin feeder traffic. Compared with the same period last year, container throughput at the North Sea and Baltic Sea ports fell by 5.4 %. There was a corresponding decline in the feeder ratio of 1.9 percentage points to 23.1 % (previous year: 25.0 %). Container throughput at the Container Terminal Odessa rose by 13.7 % to 81 thousand TEU (previous year: 71 thousand TEU).
The growth in volumes led to a disproportionately strong year-on-year increase in revenue, of 4.9 % to € 191.7 million (previous year: € 182.8 million). The average revenue per container handled at the quayside rose by 2.2 % year-on-year. This was caused by the developments in loading structure, mentioned above, which shifted towards overseas transport, and the ongoing high storage fees resulting from ship delays and the associated longer container dwell times at HHLA’s container terminals.
The segment’s EBIT costs rose by 5.4 % in the first three months of 2018, outstripping throughput volume. This was due to the additional resources required as a result of the previously mentioned ship delays and significant fluctuation in utilisation of the various facilities. Nevertheless, the year-on-year increase in the operating result (EBIT) of 2.6 % to € 32.7 million (previous year: € 31.9 million) was able to match volume growth. At 17.1 %, the EBIT margin was slightly below the prior-year figure (previous year: 17.4 %).
A slot-booking process for trucks was established at the terminals in Hamburg at the end of last year to improve the handling of peak loads in hinterland processing caused by increased ship sizes.