February 10 - In 2010, an increase in conventional general cargo throughput at the port of Hamburg to 2.6 million tonnes was helped by increased exports of project cargo and vehicles at 1.1 million tonnes (up by 19.5 percent), helping the port to leave th

Hamburg, Germany's largest universal port, enjoyed cargo growth of almost 10 percent to reach a throughput of 121 million tonnes. Conventional general cargo throughput at the port reached 2.6 million tonnes (or 5.4 percent) in 2010.

The handling of non-containerised cargo is very valuable for port businesses, says Claudia Roller, chief executive officer of Hafen Port of Hamburg marketing.

"Numerous firms offer special services and unusual equipment such as the loading cranes for especially heavy plant elements and for the transport and handling of heavy cargo."

In successful co-operation with German inland ports along the Elbe and its lateral canals, more project cargoes are being transported by barge to the Port of Hamburg, packed and then loaded onto the ocean-going ships," commented Roller.

For the coming year, managers at the port expect that the revival of foreign trade in Eastern Europe and Russia combined with further growth in German foreign trade will lead to a rise in seaborne cargo throughput for the port. In addition, the People's Republic of China, the Port of Hamburg's leading foreign trade partner in the container trades, has since 2010 again ensured growing cargo flows transported by sea to the German port.