North European Hamburg-Le Havre range ports are expected to break through the “seemingly invincible” 40m teu ceiling in 2014, having failed to make the mark in 2013.
Research from the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics and Hackett Associates’ Global Port Tracker: North Europe Trade Outlook revealed that the ports of Le Havre, Zeebrugge, Antwerp, Rotterdam, Bremen/Bremerhaven and Hamburg are expected to handle 3.3 % more teu in 2014, on the back of a “more robust economic performance”.
Growth of container trade – distinct from handling which also includes empties and transhipment - is expected to rise to 3.9% for imports and 3.4% for exports this year.
In a breakdown of the forecast, the economists expect that the Belgian ports of Antwerp and Zeebrugge will be able to “defend most of the market shares gained during the course of 2013” to grow at 7.1 % and 7.6% respectively, whereas the ports of Rotterdam, Le Havre and Bremerhaven are expected to post growth rates below 1%. Hamburg is expected to grow in line with the market average of 3.4%.
