Germany's largest seaport, Hamburg, is indirectly benefiting from the diversion of commercial shipping around the Red Sea. Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), which operates three container terminals in the Hanseatic city, reported on Thursday that cargo volumes in trade with deep-sea ports in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands saw a significant increase in 2025. "This is due to ongoing route shifts resulting from the military conflict in the Red Sea," HHLA explained. Following attacks by Houthi rebels from Yemen in the Red Sea, many commercial vessels have long avoided the Suez Canal, opting instead to sail around Africa.

HHLA did not initially comment on Thursday regarding the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz following the conflict with Iran. The strait, located at the entrance to the Persian Gulf, is currently impassable due to the risk of Iranian attacks. Hundreds of ships are stranded in the Gulf, including at least 50 vessels from ten German shipping companies, according to the German Shipowners' Association (VDR). Due to the close integration of global route networks, such disruptions can also impact ports outside the Middle East region. Furthermore, the turbulence in world trade triggered by US customs policy is leaving its mark on the industry.

Consequently, HHLA reported that volumes in overseas traffic with North America at its Hamburg terminals decreased sharply in 2025. In contrast, trade routes with the Far East - particularly China - as well as South America, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East saw an upward trend. Overall, throughput at the HHLA terminals Altenwerder, Burchardkai, and Tollerort rose by 4.8 percent to just over 5.9 million standard containers (TEU).

HHLA also owns facilities in other countries, including the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa. The Port Logistics subgroup, which is expected to be delisted from the stock exchange in the medium term following the entry of the world's largest shipping line, MSC, aims for further growth. The operational growth of 2025 is expected to continue in 2026, explained the new HHLA CEO Jeroen Eijsink. He is primarily focusing on increasing efficiency through the automation of terminals and their rail connections via the subsidiary Metrans. In 2025, the subgroup increased its operating profit (Ebit) by nearly a quarter to almost 145 million euros. This year, the target is between 160 and 180 million euros.

(Report by Elke Ahlswede. Edited by Olaf Brenner. For inquiries, please contact our editorial office at berlin.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economics) or frankfurt.newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets).)