Kiel handled 5.8 million tons of cargo last year, the best result ever recorded by the port. This was an 19,3 % increase over the previous year and considerably more than even the 5.3 million tons handled in 2007, the year before the economic crisis. The engines of growth this past year have been particularly the ferry lines, which link Kiel with Scandinavia as well as with Russia and the Baltic region. Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG), announced the annual figures at a press conference today (Jan. 25th) held jointly with the managing directors of locally based shipping agencies - Jacob Anderson (DFDS Seaways), Stefan Mathias (Stena Line) and Dr. Jorg Rudolph (Color Line). Dirk Claus said: "We posted record handling in 2010 and are well on course for further growth this year as well. All the indications are that we will handle more than 6 million tons in 2011".
Ferry traffic the engine of growth
Ferry services from Kiel carried well over 30 % more cargo in 2010 and together increased their transport volume by more than 1 million tons. They are the backbone of port activity and account for more than 70 % of all cargo handled. The biggest cargo carrier in 2010 was the Kiel-Klaipeda service of DFDS Seaways, which also showed the biggest overall increase in cargo - to more than two million tons. Relatively speaking, the Stena Line service between Kiel and Gothenburg posted the best result with an increase of 55 %. "The concentration of Stena Line's west Sweden services on Kiel gives our port an enormous boost", said Dirk Claus. "Thanks to our partners we have been able to win additional market shares not only on Scandinavian routes, but also on Russia and Baltic service markets."
Important preconditions for this were set last year at Schwedenkai. The new terminal building, inaugurated on October 1st, is a visible symbol of the complete renovation of the Schwedenkai site. The SEEHAFEN KIEL, with the support of the federal German state of Schleswig-Holstein, invested a good 30 million Euros in that terminal building and in berthing facilities and handling logistics, with the aim of guaranteeing the swift and safe handling of a new generation of Stena Line ships on the Kiel-Gothenburg route. Dirk Claus said, "With the introduction of the new "Stena Germanica" and the "Stena Freighter", cargo volumes have more than doubled since September". By the time the new "Stena Scandinavica" replaces her predecessor on the route in spring, the remaining work at Schwedenkai will also have been largely completed and additional capacity will be available for the pre-parking of trailers and export vehicles.
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