Munich, 18 February 2025 – Port and container terminals are the lifelines of global trade and indispensable for the German economy. In 2024, around 1.2 billion euros were invested in the expansion and rehabilitation of German ports to ensure their efficiency and competitiveness. These investments are not only a sign of the importance of the ports, but also a driving force for the construction industry.
The German seaports are an essential part of the maritime economy and contribute significantly to value creation and employment. According to a study by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, port and terminal operations generate annual economic turnover of 7 billion euros. This illustrates the importance of the ports for the German economy. The port industry not only secures direct jobs, but also has far-reaching effects on the entire supply chain. Around 1.35 million people are employed in the port-related industry, and the extended port-related economic sectors generate annual sales of 62 billion euros. These figures underline the central role of ports as hubs of international trade and as an engine for economic growth and employment.
Potential of the construction industry
The expansion and modernisation of the port infrastructure offers enormous opportunities for the construction industry. This includes, for example, special civil engineering, such as the foundation of quay facilities, and transport route engineering, such as road and rail routes. In addition to the construction of new infrastructures, the rehabilitation of existing facilities also plays a central role in meeting the increasing demands on handling capacities and sustainability.
Furthermore, seaports in particular need to expand their infrastructure to enable the assembly, storage and transport of large wind power components such as turbines, rotor blades and foundations. Demands on berths are also changing. Special berths are needed that are suitable for the large installation and maintenance vessels used in the offshore wind industry. Ports must also prepare for the handling and transhipment of new energy carriers such as hydrogen and LNG to ensure a sustainable energy supply. These measures are crucial to guaranteeing a future-proof and efficient infrastructure that can meet the demands of growing global trade flows and transhipment potential.
PORR: A strong partner for port infrastructure
With its extensive expertise, the company is actively driving forward the modernisation and expansion of port infrastructure in Germany. An outstanding example of this is the project at Berlin's Westhafen. By 2026, the Berlin port and warehouse company BEHALA will expand the container terminal to promote the transfer of goods to rail and thus contribute to the successful transport transition. PORR secured this challenging contract with its expertise in the areas of special civil engineering, transport route engineering, track construction, electrical plant construction and pipeline construction, offering a full range of services from a single source.
Berlin's Westhafen, the only trimodal freight distribution centre in the capital, connects the road, rail and water transport modes. In order to be prepared for the increasing demand, the operator is increasing the storage capacity by around 15,000 m² and creating space for 1,200 additional 20-foot standard containers. In addition, a new gantry crane with ship handling as well as track systems for block trains up to 740 metres long are being constructed. The new container area will be implemented with a 50-centimetre-thick reinforced concrete slab. In addition, PORR Transport Route Engineering is constructing three shunting tracks, a new terminal access road for trucks, as well as two crane runways for the new gantry crane.
Another significant project is the new rail transhipment facility for the EUROGATE Container Terminal in Bremerhaven. A state-of-the-art facility with six tracks and four gantry cranes is being built here by 2025, which will significantly increase the port's capacity and secure the location's competitiveness compared to other European container ports. The facility covers eight hectares and increases the transhipment capacity for combined transport by around a third. PORR Transport Route Engineering has been part of the project since March 2024. The company is carrying out asphalt works for the areas on behalf of EUROGATE KV-Anlage Bremerhaven GmbH. A total of 38,000m² of asphalt surfaces, including the underlying base layers and drainage systems, have already been removed and the connection of new drainage and supply systems has been installed. Most recently, the works have focused on the largest construction phase, which covers an area of around 25,000m².
Overall, port and container terminals are not only logistical centres, but also engines of economic progress and technological innovation. The continuous modernisation and expansion of port infrastructure is a prerequisite for meeting the increasing global trade flows. With its expertise, PORR is setting new standards and actively shaping the future of the German port landscape.
