Sluggish economy slows down cargo handling
A total of 15.52 million tonnes of cargo passed the edge of the quay in the port city on river Warnow during the first half of 2024. „Of these, 14.8 million tonnes were handled at the Overseas Port, which constituted the second-best half-year result in its entire history of more than 60 years. After very strong growth over the last ten years from around 21 to nearly 31 million tonnes in 2023 even the port of Rostock couldn’t escape the effects of the sluggish state of the economy. The handling result, even though it is one million tonnes below the record result of the previous year, nevertheless demonstrates the strength of the all-purpose port in an impressive manner“, says Dr. Gernot Tesch, managing director of ROSTOCK PORT GmbH.
According to the city’s port and shipping authority, around 720,000 tonnes were handled at other port facilities in Rostock such as the Cargo and Fishing Port and the Chemical Port of Yara.
The number of ferry passengers carried to and from northern Europe went down from one million during the same period last year to 920,000.
„After the two previous record years with high growth especially in the handling of liquid cargo, declines occurred across all types of cargo during the first half of 2024. But the level of cargo handling continues to be very high“, says ROSTOCK PORT managing director Dr. Gernot Tesch. ROSTOCK PORT managing director Jens A. Scharner adds: „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“.
Rostock Overseas Port
Of the total of 14.8 million tonnes handled, 8.1 million were moved across the edge of the quay at the ferry and ro-ro terminal, which was 300,000 tonnes or 4 percent less than in the record half-year 2023. The ferry and ro-ro goods accounted for 55 percent of overall handling at the all-purpose port of Rostock. Handling of bulk and general cargo contributed a share of 45 percent to the total cargo handling with 6.7 million tonnes.
Rostock Overseas Port recorded 3,697 calls (2023: 3,660) by ferry, ro-ro, cargo and cruise vessels in the first six months of the year, 2,869 (2023: 2,813) of which were port calls by ferries and ro-ro vessels.
Wheeled cargo
188,000 trucks (accompanied units) were carried on the three ferry and three ro-ro services to and from Denmark, Sweden and Finland, two percent less than in the same period last year. Handling of unescorted units decreased a little more, some of which was due to industrial action: 70,500 trailers and other cargo units rolled on and off the vessels (minus six percent). In addition 10,000 railway wagons and more than 53,000 new cars (37,000 more than in the previous year) were moved via Rostock in the first half of 2024.
Track access charges dampen demand in intermodal transport
Handling in intermodal transport also declined. The terminal operator Rostock Trimodal (RTM) moved around 54,000 units, approx. 10 percent less than in the same period last year.
„After many years of growth this decline is to be attributed to a difficult economic environment, but also to higher energy prices and track access charges and to the improved availability of drivers due to lower freight carryings. But in the medium and long term we envisage a growing demand for intermodal solutions and we will continue to upgrade capabilities at the port accordingly. There are first indications that we have passed through the bottom of the economic cycle“, states Dr. Gernot Tesch. A major customer of the port for instance intends to establish a new intermodal transport service as a ‘company train’ between Karlsruhe and Rostock, with three connections per week for a start. An increase in frequency is already envisaged.
Currently there are 43 weekly intermodal transport trains to and from Verona (18) in Italy, to and from Bratislava (6) in Slovakia, to and from Oradea (2) in Romania, to and from Dresden (6), Herne (6) and Halle (1) in Germany as well as to and from Bettembourg (4) in Luxembourg. Via Bettembourg it is possible to reach Lyon and Le Boulou in France, among others, as well as Barcelona in Spain. In addition the intermodal transport specialist TX Logistik recently started a new, open intermodal transport offer inside Sweden. An intermodal train runs twice a week between Trelleborg and Umeå (Västerbotten). From Umeå it is possible to reach the Finnish port of Vaasa by means of Waasa Line. Apart from carrying craneable trailers TX Logistik also offers the possibility to carry non-craneable units.
Bulk goods and general cargo
There was a slight decline in the handling of liquid goods. Until the end of June 3.75 million tonnes were pumped across the edge of the quay, which was 150,000 tonnes less than in the first half of the previous year. The crude oil imports for PCK Schwedt amounted to just under three million tonnes. More biodiesel and rapeseed oil, but less naphtha, gas and heating oil were handled.
At 2.7 million tonnes the handling of dry bulk was about 400,000 tonnes below the level of the previous year’s result. The highest share in dry bulk handling was again contributed by grain with 1.6 million tonnes (2023: 1.6 million tonnes). There were larger declines especially in the handling of coal with a minus of 250,000 tonnes, but the import of Ukrainian rapeseed by sea is also very much on the decline due to the war.
In the general cargo division 290,000 tonnes were hoisted over the side, which is 90,000 tonnes less than during the same period last year. Less sheet metal, pipes, wind power plants and rotor blades but more crane facilities were transhipped.
Projects and capex
New building of berths 31 and 32
The replacement construction of the two oldest berths at Rostock Overseas Port, berths 31 and 32, was officially started by ROSTOCK PORT GmbH in April 2022. After two years of construction work this approx. Euro22 million port infrastructure project is to be completed soon.
The two berths on the eastern side of pier 2 at port basin B are 62 and 58 years old, respectively. They have been newly built on a total length of 400 metres, a width of 18 metres and for a draught of 12.50 metres. The quay was designed for a surface load of five tonnes per square metre and it will be equipped with new crane rails capable of carrying 30 tonnes per metre over the entire length.
Berths 31 and 32 were rebuilt as multi-purpose berths for the handling of both project cargo as well as general and dry bulk cargo. There are plans to newly build berths 33 and 34, which have also seen better days, in the same quality.
Traffic infrastructure upgrade, phase 2
As part of phase 2 of the subsidy project to improve the traffic infrastructure a section of about 500 metres of the highly frequented Ost-West-Strasse at the Overseas Port was completed in the beginning of this year.
Within the framework of this subsidy project we are now beginning comprehensive demolishing activities of old storage sheds south of port basin A on an area of around ten hectares. These demolition activities are expected to be carried out in three stages until the end of 2026 and will be accompanied by extensive measures to protect endangered species. After clearance these areas, which adjoin the ferry and ro-ro terminal, will be available for further port development.
New building of deep-water berth 5 at the oil port
In June 2022 planning work for a deep-water berth in the eastern part of Rostock oil port was commissioned. Based on qualified and accelerated planning, a building permit is to be obtained as quickly as possible in order to upgrade berth 5 for all future energy imports and provide sufficient amounts of renewable energies via Rostock. An official approval procedure will be initiated this year in order to allow for the start of construction in 2025/26. Building time is estimated to be around two years.
After completion of the new berth the navigational channel connecting the port basin at the oil port with the turning basin to the oil port will be dredged to the same draught as the turning basin, i.e. 16.50 metres. Since the building work will mostly take place within the existing port basin, interference with nature will 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 heavily used for supplies to the refinery PCK at Schwedt. The fenders at the berth are to be replaced still this year.
ROSTOCK PORT creates office capacities in order to optimise the use of areas
A new office building on Ost-West-Strasse at Rostock Overseas Port celebrated its topping-out ceremony at the end of May 2024. Until the end of 2025 a new six-floor building with 60 offices and a useful area of 2,520 square metres is being built at the foot of pier 2 close to the office buildings of the port operator ROSTOCK PORT and of the cargo handling company Euroports.
„ROSTOCK PORT as the client invests several million Euros in order to create modern premises for port companies and public authorities working at the port and in order to concentrate office locations on the port territory “, says Jens A. Scharner, managing director of ROSTOCK PORT GmbH. After the companies have moved into the new building, the old office buildings that have had their days and are scattered all over the port are to be demolished and the land thus freed is to be used for logistical purposes and as areas for expansion and for industrial development. Internal port development using all available spaces remains one of the priorities in order to offer existing companies and those wishing to be established here the preconditions for successful economic activities.
The new office building at Ost-West-Strasse 31 will be equipped with its own photovoltaic system to generate electricity for in-house needs and it will be connected to the district heating grid. The planning and building contracts put out to tender so far will be performed by companies from the region, such as Rostock architects buttler architekten GmbH and the construction companies Groth & Co GmbH from Rostock and Hoch-, Dach- und Fassadenbau GmbH from Kemnitz near Greifswald.
At the same time ROSTOCK PORT is building a second office block which will be used by the federal police force from the middle of 2025. At the level of port basin B south of Ost-West-Strasse a new three-floor building is under construction behind the office block already renovated by ROSTOCK PORT where the customs office is also located. The new building will have 1,220 square metres of floor space.
EU subsidy project „Rail -IT-MoS“
In order to improve ferry passenger traffic at berth 64 a new elevator facility has been installed as part of the EU subsidy project „Rail-IT-MoS“. 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.
The building activities continued over the last half-year and comprised the construction of adequate foundations of the reinforced concrete elevator shaft as well as the assembly of the elevator facility itself with two stopping points. The stopping points on opposite sides were integrated into the existing gangway facility. ROSTOCK PORT invested just under Euro180,000, partly subsidized by the Motorways of the Sea project "Rail-IT-MoS".
Another sub-measure towards extending and optimising areas west of quay shed 9a is to be started in September 2024. The aim is to put down tarmac on an area covering approx. 7,000 square metres. It is planned to complete this measure until December 2024.
In coordination with Deutsche Bahn, ROSTOCK PORT has started the refurbishment of railway and switching facilities at the ferry and ro-ro terminal. The implementation is planned in four construction phases until the end of 2025 under the subsidy programme „Rail-IT-MoS“. Apart from the investment in the public railway facilities, ferry and ro-ro areas are to be optimised as well. The total investment amounts to around seven million Euros.
Extension of railway tracks at the intermodal transport terminal
The completion of planning work for the extension of the existing intermodal transport terminal to a track length of 680 metres entails further extension work at the port in order to enable it to cope with future requirements in rail/land transhipment. „Rostock is confident that thanks to its above-average railway infrastructure, but also as a result of targeted measures to extend capacity combined with ongoing investment by InfraGo (DB Netz) it will be able to contribute to the establishment of green transport chains and to the transfer of traffic from road to rail. The years 2024 and 2025 will be fully dedicated to the urgently necessary track extension at Rostock Trimodal. In December 2023 we already managed to install a digital registration system for intermodal transport units at the terminal entry and an operating system for a better operative handling at the terminal“, explains Dr. Gernot Tesch.
The current planning effort for the extension of the existing intermodal transport terminal is expected to be completed still this year so that the actual extension can be implemented until 2025. Apart from that, further extension work is planned at the port in order to enable it to cope with future requirements in rail/land transhipment. „Rostock is confident that thanks to the above-average railway infrastructure it has to offer, but also through targeted measures to extend capacity combined with the current investment by InfraGo (DB Netz) it will be able to contribute to the establishment of green transport chains and to the transfer of traffic from road to rail. The years 2024 and 2025 will for a start be fully dedicated to the urgently necessary track extension at Rostock Trimodal. In December 2023 we already managed to install a digital registration system for intermodal transport units at the terminal entry and an operating system for a better operative handling at the terminal“, explains Dr. Gernot Tesch.
Development plan for the area between the oil port and the chemical port
The 27 hectares of land between the oil port and the chemical port represent one of the last sizeable coherent areas being prepared for port use in the current special area of the port. Together with the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock Rostock Port is preparing for the drawing-up of a supply-led development plan. In this connection Rostock Port has commissioned a number of expert opinions which will be processed and evaluated jointly with the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock in the coming months. The area has not been used commercially for decades and is in a natural state. At this point in time it is not yet possible to state its future use and the actual size of area that will be available.
Provision of areas for port development
The high demand for areas close to 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 gratifying establishments of businesses to date and the extension projects pursued by numerous companies established at the port were only possible until now due to the availability of space thanks to efforts to secure land in the past. It is therefore necessary to intensify the provision of port-related areas, especially also with regard to the various challenges and opportunities presented by the energy transition.
Therefore the provision of areas for long-term port development must be intensified. The regional and municipal planning authorities are working on the process of regional planning and on drawing up a new preliminary municipal development planning – “land zoning plan” and/or redraft of the “future plan” for the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock. „At the same time ROSTOCK PORT is implementing a communication strategy together with the aforementioned partners, the Rostock Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Corporation Rostock Business 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
ROSTOCK PORT publishes a sustainability report
After ROSTOCK PORT GmbH published its second sustainability report for the business years 2020 to 2022 the company is now preparing a reporting according to the so-called Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
This new EU directive contains higher requirements for sustainability reporting by companies. Large corporations are now no longer allowed to prepare detached sustainability reports but have to integrate them into the annual accounts and have to have them certified by the auditors. In this ROSTOCK PORT may build on the reporting system developed according to the previous standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) while working out new building blocks. For instance, in the second half-year ROSTOCK PORT will carry out a so-called materiality and stakeholder analysis. Information on the current sustainability report please can be found at Nachhaltigkeitsbericht_ROSTOCK_PORT_2023.pdf (rostock-port.de)
Energy Port Rostock: Hydrogen production reaches major milestone
Renewable energies and green sources of energy are in the focus of port development. The hydrogen production project ‘HyTechHafen Rostock’ is an important building block of the energy port concept. Since the start of the measures was given an early green light at the end of 2022 the activities have been ramped up. The financing commitment of the German government for the project is expected to be issued still this month.
Cruise shipping in Warnemünde
The 2024 cruise shipping season in Warnemünde started with the arrival of AIDAmar on 14 April. 23 cruise shipping companies have notified 148 port calls by 37 cruise liners for this year. Rostock-based shipping company AIDA Cruises will for instance perform 69 port calls with turnarounds of passengers at its home port of Warnemünde with AIDAdiva and AIDAmar.
Nine cruise vessels will call at the mouth of river Warnow for the first time this year: Ocean Albatros on 5 May, Viking Neptune on 31 May, Spirit of Adventure on 6 June, Coral Princess 0n 12 June, Caribbean Princess on 4 July, Mein Schiff 7 on 15 August, Azamara Onward on 27 August, Sirena on 17 September and Nordstjernen on 28 September 2024.
The American cruise liners Norwegian Getaway (gross tonnage 145,655, length 326 metres) and Sky Princess (gross tonnage 145,281, length 330 metres) are the two largest passenger vessels of this season.
„It is most gratifying to see that the number of port calls in Warnemünde is once again on the rise after the last difficult years. Together with the tourist industry we look forward to a lively and varied season with many different vessels and many German and international guests“, says Dr. Gernot Tesch, managing director of the port operator ROSTOCK PORT. „Having already supplied shore electricity during their time in port for around one third of all cruise vessels calling in Warnemünde last year we expect a further increase in the use of shore electricity this year“.
The 2024 cruise shipping season is expected to end on 18 December with the port call of Amadea of the German shipping company Phönix Reisen.
Cover photo from left to right:
Heiko Kähler (Managing Director Scandlines Deutschland GmbH), Benoit Surin (Head of Sales, Marketing & PR, Finnlines Deutschland GmbH), Jens A. Scharner (Managing Director ROSTOCK PORT GmbH), Dr. Gernot Tesch (Managing Director ROSTOCK PORT GmbH), Mikko Juelich (Managing Director Stena Line GmbH), (Andreas Schaerli (COO TT-Line GmbH)