In the just completed financial year 2016, the EUROGATE Group handled the same volume of standard containers (TEU) as in 2015. While the first six months of 2016 got off to a promising start, in the second half-year the turbulences in the shipping industry impacted on the total handling volume of the EUROGATE Group. Overall container handling volumes at all eleven EUROGATE Group locations came to 14.6 million TEUs.
At its German terminals, the Group transhipped 8.2 million TEUs altogether. The development at Germany’s only deep-water port was encouraging. EUROGATE Container Terminal Wilhelmshaven notched up 481,720 TEUs, which translates to a growth rate of 12.9 per cent.
The Bremerhaven container terminals together recorded a throughput of 5.5 million TEUs, while the figure for EUROGATE Container Terminal Hamburg stood at 2.3 million TEUs. Shipping company takeovers and the insolvency of Korean Hanjin Shipping led to a realignment within the major alliances in 2016. Against this background, 2017 promises to be an outstanding year for all market participants.
As expected, in 2016 the number of mega container ships with a capacity in excess of 18,000 TEUs calling at the German EUROGATE terminals once again increased. EUROGATE clears half of these vessels in Bremerhaven, the other half in equal shares in Hamburg and Wilhelmshaven.
Michael Blach, new Chairman of the EUROGATE Group Management Board since 1 January 2017, says: “We are looking expectantly and confidently ahead to 2017, a year that will bring many changes. The shipping lines have formed new alliances. We view this optimistically. For with its three North German terminals, EUROGATE is excellently positioned to meet the requirements of the major shipping alliances and their mega container ships. This is not only key for the company, but for the entire North German coastal region. Our goal is clear: to successfully position ourselves in this intensely competitive environment!”
Source: Eurogate Group