Port of Hamburg total seaborne cargo exports
Port of Hamburg total seaborne cargo exports stood at 46.4 million tonnes in 2025. It is one of the indicators in the Port of Hamburg table (Value · Annual), with a complete series running from 1989 to 2025. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Port of Hamburg table
| Indicator | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total seaborne cargo | |||||||||||
| Exports | 46.4 | 47.7 | 48.6 | 50.4 | 54.9 | 56.1 | 58.2 | 55.4 | 58 | 59.1 | |
| Imports | 68.2 | 64.1 | 65.6 | 69.5 | 73.8 | 70.1 | 78.4 | 79.7 | 78.4 | 79.1 |
Understanding port of Hamburg total seaborne cargo exports
Waterborne dispatches loaded aboard ocean-going vessels for outbound transport constitute this series, recording total outward freight tonnage handled across the quays. The metric consolidates both exported general cargo—covering containerised freight alongside conventional roll-on roll-off and breakbulk goods—and outbound bulk materials such as minerals, grain, and chemical liquids. It operates as the direct counterpart to total seaborne cargo imports and forms the outbound half of aggregate seaborne throughput. Excluded from the measure are vessel supplies, ship fuel bunkered during berthing, and transit freight that shifts between inland river barges without boarding a sea-going carrier.
Reviewing outward cargo over a full calendar year reveals structural patterns in maritime dispatch without distortion from temporary quay congestion or monthly sailing adjustments. Inward and outward shipping patterns often diverge because outbound cargo frequently comprises denser manufactured goods or empty equipment repositioning, which alters the relationship between volume and weight. Analysts tracking outbound trade should recognize that maritime export tonnage reflects physical loadings onto vessels rather than customs clearance for specific final destinations, as cargo may be transhipped downstream. Early annual totals are routinely updated when terminal operator logs and carrier manifests reach final statistical consolidation.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this series include fuel oil loaded into ships for their own propulsion?
- No, bunkered fuel and operational provisions consumed by vessels are excluded from seaborne export cargo totals.
- How does this metric differ from outbound general cargo exports?
- Total seaborne exports combines both general cargo and bulk cargo, whereas the general cargo line isolates packaged and unitised freight.
- Are goods loaded onto feeder vessels destined for regional transhipment included here?
- Yes, any cargo loaded onto an ocean-going or coastal vessel departing the port quays is counted as a seaborne export.