The duisport group generated a total operating performance of EUR 217 million during the 2015 business year. The company’s performance, including revenues from strategic participations, increased 10 percent compared to the previous year (2014: EUR 198 million), reaching a new record. In the case of EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, and depreciation and amortization), the result from 2014 (EUR 35 million) was surpassed by 6 percent (EUR 37 million). The result before taxes on earnings also reached a new record at EUR 16 million (2014: EUR 14 million).
“In view of the stagnating logistics markets in Europe, we can certainly be very satisfied with the results that have been achieved. Despite a difficult market environment in the logistics and packing sector in terms of price, we have been able to increase the total return of the group by implementing a large number of process improvements. Our integrated service portfolio thus remains the basis for stable earnings developments,” emphasises Erich Staake, Chief Executive Officer of Duisburger Hafen AG, at this year’s annual results press conference.
Among the three business segments of the duisport group – Infra- and Suprastructure, Logistic Services and Packaging Logistics – it was the Logistic Services division in particular that made a very positive contribution in this respect in 2015. While Infra- and Suprastructure increased its revenues to EUR 48 million (2014: EUR 47 million), revenues in Logistics Services grew by 25 percent to EUR 76 million (2014: EUR 60 million). The increased revenues in this business segment are mainly due to project logistics, the volume growth in the container and bulk segment, and the consulting and project business.
Packaging Logistics generated revenues of EUR 69 million in 2015 – a decrease of around 3 percent compared to the previous year (2014: EUR 72 million). This decline was primarily due to the spin-off of IPS Integrated Project Services GmbH into the Logistic Services business segment.
Total goods handling for all Duisburg ports was 129 million tonnes last year (2014: 131 million tonnes). The slight decline over the previous year is the result of handling developments at the private commercial ports due to economic factors.
The total handling volume at the ports of the duisport group grew by 6 percent to 69 million tonnes (2014: 65 million tonnes), reaching a new record. Handling volumes for rail and ship reached 35 million tonnes in 2015 – after 33 million tonnes in 2014. While ship handling stayed at the previous year’s volume of 16 million tonnes (2014: 16 million tonnes), rail handling grew by 12 percent to 19 million tonnes (2014: 17 million tonnes).
Also the result of combined transportation improved. The handling volume for containers rose by 6 percent to 3.6 million TEU (2014: 3.4 million TEU), thereby reaching yet another all-time high.
duisport is not expecting any significant improvement in the global trade situation for the year 2016. In contrast to previous years, the large Asian sea ports are reporting only very minimal growth rates, and significant decreases in some cases. Current handling trends in the Hamburg-Le Havre Range also do not give rise to optimism.
“We are currently seeing that the idea of steadily increasing movements of goods due to globalisation and the associated double-digit growth rates in transport logistics appear to be a thing of the past. At this time, there is no real driver for global economic growth. Therefore we are not expecting growth impulses for the current year, which means that developments in 2016 will likely be very subdued,” says Staake.
