More ferry and cruise passengers via Rostock
A total of 16.5 million tonnes of cargo passed the edge of the quay in the port city on river Warnow during the first half of 2025. „Of these, 15.7 million tonnes were handled at the Overseas Port, which constitutes an impressive 600,000 tonnes over the first six months of 2024 and just 100,000 tonnes less than the absolute record half-year 2023. Cargo handling at Rostock Overseas Port has been on a record level for three years now. All main cargo types of the largest universal German port on the Baltic Sea have shown growth in handling during the first six months of 2025. Ferry passenger traffic to and from Northern Europe also increased“, says Dr. Gernot Tesch, managing director of ROSTOCK PORT GmbH.
According to the city’s port and shipping authority, around 800,000 tonnes (plus 80,000 tonnes) were handled at the other port facilities in Rostock such as the Cargo and Fishing Port and the Chemical Port of Yara.
Compared to the same period last year the number of ferry passengers carried to and from northern Europe via Rostock went up by 14,000 to 1.03 million.
ROSTOCK PORT managing director Jens A. Scharner emphasises: „With this very good handling result the Overseas Port of Rostock and all the businesses and public authorities active in and around it, especially the shipping companies, cargo handling businesses, forwarders and railway companies operating here have again demonstrated their enormous efficiency and universality in a market environment that continues to be difficult“.
Rostock Overseas Port
Of the total of 15.7 million tonnes handled from January to June, 8.4 million were moved at the ferry and ro-ro terminal. This was equivalent to roughly 100,000 tonnes more than in the previous year. The ferry and ro-ro goods thus accounted for 54 percent of overall handling at the all-purpose port of Rostock. Handling of bulk and general cargo amounted to 7.3 million tonnes.
Rostock Overseas Port recorded 3,712 port calls (2024: 3,641) by ferry, ro-ro, cargo and cruise vessels in the first six months of the year, 2,878 (2024: 2,869) of which were port calls by ferries and ro-ro vessels.
Wheeled cargo
196,100 trucks (escorted units) were carried on the three ferry and three ro-ro services to and from Denmark, Sweden and Finland, nearly 3,000 more than in the same period last year. Handling of unescorted units also increased: 74,100 trailers and other cargo units rolled on and off the vessels (plus five percent). In addition 10,800 railway wagons (plus seven percent) and about 70,000 new cars (plus 30 percent) were moved via Rostock in the first half of 2025.
Intermodal transport back to a growth trajectory
Compared to the same period last year the handling of intermodal units went up by four percent. The terminal operator Rostock Trimodal (RTM) moved around 56.500 units between January and June. „This means that intermodal transport is getting back to a growth path after two years of declining numbers, and this despite an economic environment that continues to be difficult and despite increased track access charges as well as quite a few building sites in the nearer and farther hinterland. Also in the medium and long term we continue to envisage a growing demand for intermodal solutions and will continue to upgrade capabilities at the port accordingly,” says Dr. Gernot Tesch. Currently the five tracks underneath the gantry cranes are being extended to a craneable length of 680 metres each. This building activity is to be completed in the first quarter of 2026.
Currently there are 48 weekly intermodal transport trains to and from Verona (22) in Italy, to and from Bratislava (5) in Slovakia, to and from Oradea (2) in Romania, to and from Dresden (5), Herne (6) and Halle (1) in Germany as well as to and from Bettembourg (3) in Luxembourg. Via Bettembourg it is possible to reach Lyon in France, among others, as well as Barcelona in Spain. Since July 2024 a service to Karlsruhe (4) operated by LKW Walter adds to the intermodal transport connections on offer in Rostock.
Bulk goods and general cargo
There was also an increase in the handling of liquid goods. Until the end of June four million tonnes were pumped across the edge of the quay, which was 220,000 tonnes more than in the first half of the previous year. The crude oil imports for PCK Schwedt amounted to three million tonnes. More gas oil, naphtha and methanol but less biodiesel and rapeseed oil were handled.
At 2.8 million tonnes the handling of dry bulk was about 140,000 tonnes above the result of the first six months of 2024. The highest share in dry bulk handling was again contributed by grain with 1.4 million tonnes even though this was about 200,000 tonnes below the previous year. There were sizeable increases especially in the handling of coal with a plus of 330,000 tonnes and a plus of 60,000 tonnes in the handling of rapeseed.
In the high value adding general cargo division 451,000 tonnes made their way across the edge of the quay, 161,000 tonnes more than during the same period last year. More pipes, wind power plants and rotor blades, crane facilities and zinc were transhipped.
Projects and capex
New building of berths 33 and 34
The building contract for the new-building of berths 33 and 34 was awarded at the end of 2024. This means that the last two berths from the 1960s on the east side of pier 2 will be completely rebuilt on a length of about 400 metres. With a draught of 12.50 metres and a surface load carrying capacity of five tonnes per square metre the construction parameters of these berths will more or less coincide with those of the newly built berths 31 and 32.
Construction will take about two years and is estimated to cost just under 20 million Euros. The project is subsidised by the federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern under the joint Federal Government/Länder scheme for improving regional economic infrastructure.
Traffic infrastructure upgrade south of port basin A
As part of phase 2 of the funding plan to improve the traffic infrastructure, extensive demolition work was begun still last year south of port basin A, clearing old storage sheds on an area of around ten hectares. This demolition work is expected to be completed in three stages by the end of 2026 and is being accompanied by extensive measures to protect endangered species.
After they have been cleared these areas, which adjoin the ferry and ro-ro terminal, will be available for further port development. This whole project also receives funding from the joint Federal Government/Länder scheme for improving regional economic infrastructure. The overall volume of the project amounts to roughly 15 million Euros.
New building of deep-water berth 5 at the Oil Port
In June 2022 an order was placed for the planning of a deep-water berth in the eastern part of Rostock Oil Port. The aim is to obtain a building permit as quickly as possible on the basis of a qualified and accelerated planning effort in order to upgrade berth 5 for future energy imports and allow for sufficient amounts of sustainable energies to be reliably provided via Rostock. „The approval procedure is currently being prepared in close cooperation with the authority issuing the zoning approval at the Ministry of Economics of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and will shortly be started officially. Construction is to start in 2026”, states Jens A. Scharner.
In coordination with the approving authority ROSTOCK PORT is carrying out an environmental impact assessment. The plan is to apply for planning permission still in 2025.
Construction is estimated to take around two years. After completion the port basin at the Oil Port will be connected to the turning basin at the same draught as the turning basin, i.e. 16.50 metres. Since the building work will predominantly take place within the existing port basin, interference with nature can be limited to a minimum.
Upgrade of the fender facilities of berth 3 at the Oil Port
Since last year berth 3 at the Oil Port has been in unusually intense and constant use for supplies to the PCK refinery at Schwedt. Work on upgrading the fender facilities was started at the end of last year while shipping operations continued so that the intense transhipment activities can proceed without a hitch. It has been possible to finish the bulk of the work in June 2025. The project costs around 1.4 million Euros.
EU subsidy programme „Rail-IT-MoS“
As part of the EU subsidy programme „Rail-IT-MoS“, which comprises a total investment volume of roughly seven million Euros over the entire project span from 2023 to 2025 at Rostock Overseas Port, ROSTOCK PORT has continued the refurbishment of railway and switching facilities at the ferry and ro-ro terminal. The second of the total of four construction stages for refurbishing railway and switching facilities was implemented in 2024.
Furthermore, a new elevator facility was installed at berth 64 in order to improve ferry passenger traffic. It was commissioned in June 2024. This has vastly improved accessibility of the railway ferries of Stena Line operating between Rostock and Trelleborg, ensuring barrier-free travel.
Another sub-measure aimed at extending and optimising areas west of quay shed 9a was begun last year: Completion of asphalting work on an area covering approx. 7,000 square metres within the ro-ro terminal. Two new floodlight masts have been installed as well.
In addition, preliminary planning activities and contract awarding procedures for widening the ramp at berth 62 have taken place.
In order to extend and improve the information and communications technologies at the Overseas Port, an order was placed for a technology upgrade for the north gate to allow for automatic check-in and check-out of trucks and trailers. Also, we have worked on the introduction of a software interface with the ferry operator Stena Line, and we have installed a combined network technology (Wireless Local Area Network - WLAN and Wireless Wide Area Network - WWAN) at the ferry and ro-ro terminal.
Replacement of the crane track at berth 24
Over the course of several construction stages ROSTOCK PORT is spending 2 million Euros on replacing the crane track at berth 24. The work will be completed next year.
Demolition of gangway facility
The old gangway facility at berth 67 at the ferry terminal is to be demolished until the end of the year. It has been out of operation for years and does not serve any purpose now. Comprehensive measures for the protection of endangered species have to be considered before it can be dismantled and pulled down.
Provision of areas for port development
The demand for areas adjoining the quays continues to exceed the land on offer by far. Development plans are currently being prepared for the last sizeable areas in the special area of the port, and/or investigations are under way with regard to their possible future use. The successful establishments of businesses to date and the extension projects pursued by numerous companies established at the port were only possible until now thanks to forward-looking measures creating land reserves in the past.
In view of the current challenges and opportunities, especially those connected with the energy transition, it is indispensible to step up the provision of areas in and around the port. This is the only way to secure the long-term development of the port.
„Therefore the provision of areas must be intensified. The regional and municipal planning authorities are working jointly on the process of regional planning and on drawing up a new land zoning plan and the “future plan” for the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock. ROSTOCK PORT is implementing a communication strategy together with the Rostock Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Corporation Rostock Business and other partners which is to be presented in various decision-making bodies of the city as well as at public events and the contents of which are to be implemented in the years to come”, says Jens A. Scharner. For further information and background:
https://rathaus.rostock.de/de/startseite/325396
Cruise shipping in Warnemünde
The 2025 cruise shipping season in Warnemünde started with the arrival of AIDAmar on 13 April and is expected to end with the port call of Amadea of the German shipping company Phönix Reisen on 18 December. 23 cruise shipping companies have notified 167 port calls by 36 cruise liners for this year.
„Following on 148 port calls last year we are very pleased with this continuing upward trend. After Copenhagen and Kiel, Rostock occupies the very good third rank among the most frequented Baltic cruise ports”, says Dr. Gernot Tesch, managing director of port operator ROSTOCK PORT.
Managing director Jens A. Scharner stresses: „We will have more than half a million of German and international cruise guests embarking and disembarking in Warnemünde this season. Last year we managed to supply shore electricity to more than half the ships during their time in port. This year we expect a further increase in the use of shore electricity“.
An increased use of shore electricity offers advantages both for the environment and for the business community. It is a key element of a sustainable port development, improves the quality of life at the location and strengthens the international competitiveness of the port.
Photo from left to right: Jens A. Scharner, Managing Director ROSTOCK PORT GmbH; Hanns-Heinrich Conzen, Managing Director TT-Line GmbH & Co. KG; Dr. Gernot Tesch, Managing Director ROSTOCK PORT GmbH; Katrin Verner, Freight Commercial Manager Stena Line GmbH & Co. KG; Kristian Fleck, Key Account Manager Finnlines Deutschland GmbH und Heiko Kähler, Managing Director Scandlines Deutschland GmbH
Weitere Informationen: www.rostock-port.de