Annual press conference

by Administrator

PORT OF KIEL publishes results 2024

Dr Dirk Claus at press conference
Copyright: PORT OF KIEL

 

PORT OF KIEL records a satisfactory result in challenging times: With 7.6 million tonnes of cargo and 2.7 million passengers handled, the port is only slightly behind the record results of the previous year. The port plans to invest 70 million euros over the next five years.

SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG published its handling figures for 2024 at its traditional annual press conference on Wednesday. The port closed the year with a cargo volume of 7.6 million tonnes (- 3.8 %) and 2.7 million passengers (- 5 %). While volumes on the Scandinavian ferry routes declined, freight volumes to the Baltic region and the Swedish paper business experienced significant growth. The passenger business also remained at a high level overall in the ferry (1.63 million passengers) and cruise (1.1 million passengers) sectors despite a slight decline.

‘We can look back on a satisfactory result in times of a challenging market environment. Even though we are slightly behind the previous year's volumes, we are still at a high freight and passenger level. Developments in Scandinavia in particular will remain exciting for us in 2025. However, we are optimistic that there will be a slight recovery overall,’ says Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG.

As a consequence of the current economic slowdown in Scandinavia and Germany, volumes fell both on the route to Gothenburg (total cargo 1.97 million tonnes) and to Oslo (total cargo 774,000 tonnes). The development is different at the Ostuferhafen, which accounts for almost half of the total throughput at the port of Kiel with 3.6 million tonnes handled. The Baltic route experienced positive growth for the second year in a row and closed with 2.74 million tonnes (+4.5 %). The paper business also developed strongly, particularly at the beginning of the year, and closed with significant growth (total result 744,000 tonnes, + 10 percent). Handling of bulk goods, which continues to be of great importance to the regional construction industry, also remained stable at just under one million tonnes. Intermodal transport in the port of Kiel continued to suffer from the railway infrastructure in need of renovation and the constantly rising track prices in 2024, falling to 13,000 units.

In 2024, 184 cruise ships with a total of 1.1 million passengers called at the port of Kiel. Despite a lower number of calls than in previous years, a high result was achieved due to the good booking situation of the ships.

‘With one million cruise passengers in a good season with smooth processes and a high level of shore power utilisation by the shipping companies, we can draw a positive conclusion for the cruise season,’ says Claus. 118 cruise ships used the shore power facilities in Kiel, which corresponds to a connection rate of 70 per cent of ocean-going cruise ships.

For the 2025 season, which will begin in April, the port expects a total of 175 cruise calls. As half of the expected ocean-going cruise ships have already used shore power in Kiel in recent seasons, Kiel is anticipating a supply rate of 80 per cent for the coming cruise season. The port of Kiel has shore power facilities at all ferry and cruise terminals and already supplies 60 per cent of all ferry and cruise ship calls with green electricity.

An extension to the existing shore power system is currently under construction at the Ostseekai, one of Kiel's two large cruise terminals. From autumn 2025, this will allow two cruise ships to be supplied with shore power in parallel at the city centre terminal. The port is also planning further investment projects, including the expansion of the port area, additional photovoltaic systems and e-charging stations for cars and lorries. In total, the PORT OF KIEL plans to invest 70 million euros over the next five years. ###

PORT OF KIEL Cruise Sailing List 2025

Port of Kiel Cruise Sailing List 2025.pdf (83.0 KiB)

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