Port of Hamburg total seaborne cargo imports
Port of Hamburg total seaborne cargo imports stood at 68.2 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 | |||||||||||
| Imports | 68.2 | 64.1 | 65.6 | 69.5 | 73.8 | 70.1 | 78.4 | 79.7 | 78.4 | 79.1 | |
| Exports | 46.4 | 47.7 | 48.6 | 50.4 | 54.9 | 56.1 | 58.2 | 55.4 | 58 | 59.1 |
Understanding port of Hamburg total seaborne cargo imports
Inbound maritime freight arriving at port facilities forms the basis of this measure, which tallies the gross weight of all ocean-going goods discharged from vessels. The scope encompasses both general cargo—such as containerised merchandise and conventional breakbulk—and bulk cargo, including liquid fuels, grab cargo, and agricultural suction products. It sits alongside total seaborne cargo exports in the accounting hierarchy, with the two summing to aggregate seaborne throughput. Deliveries arriving via inland waterways by river barge without prior maritime unloading are excluded, as are vessel bunker fuels and shipboard provisions.
Annual observations eliminate seasonal volatility generated by winter weather disruptions, navigational freezes, and quarterly shipping schedule realignments. Examining annual movements against the previous year provides a reliable assessment of inbound ocean freight volume, though users should avoid conflating gross physical weight with financial trade value. Because the figures record gross mass, heavy low-value raw materials exert far greater influence on this indicator than lightweight high-value manufactured items. Initial annual figures remain subject to statistical revisions as shipping manifests, stevedore unloading logs, and customs clearances undergo final reconciliation.
Frequently asked questions
- Does this figure include cargo that arrives on river barges from the interior?
- No, the series counts only ocean-going maritime arrivals discharged at port quays, excluding domestic freight originating on inland waterways.
- How does total seaborne import tonnage treat container packaging and tare weight?
- Tonnage figures reflect gross weight, which incorporates the mass of goods along with shipping containers and protective packaging.
- Why might seaborne import tonnage diverge from foreign trade import values?
- This metric tracks physical weight in million tonnes rather than monetary worth, meaning high-density commodities outweigh valuable but lightweight cargo.