The total turnover of the ports of Bremen increased slightly in 2018. In total, the ports of the German state of Bremen handled a total of 74.4 million tonnes of goods last year. This is 0.3 per cent more than the year before. This growth in volume was mainly attributable to general cargo handling, which rose by 1.7 per cent, while bulk cargo volume fell by 9.8 per cent.
This decline is particularly evident in the result of the city ports of Bremen. While in 2017 13.3 million tonnes were shipped through Bremen, in 2018 the throughput volume fell to 12.3 million tonnes. By contrast, throughput in Bremerhaven increased by 1.9 per cent from 60.9 million tonnes to 62.1 million tonnes.
The stable situation in the ports of Bremen was particularly evident in container handling last year. From January to December 5.45 million TEU were handled at the quays. In the previous year there were 5.51 million TEU. Automotive turnover was 2.2 million vehicles in 2018, compared to around 2.3 million vehicles in the previous year.
There was also an overall positive development on the harbor railway. 38,690 incoming and outgoing trains were handled last year. As a result, the total train volume rose by five per cent compared to the previous year. 30,390 trains were handled in Bremerhaven, 8,300 trains used the track systems in Bremen.
