The shipping company Stena is heading for three German ports, Rostock and Travemünde in addition to Kiel. Stena Line‘s management draws the reason for “positive optimism” in its German business from the advance bookings for the current year. Stena Line is planning investments in cabins to further increase travel comfort. Due, among other things, to the increased interest in trips to Norway and the ongoing camping trend – only 15 percent of guests in Norway stay in hotels – passenger traffic has positive prospects. For the PORT OF KIEL as a whole, the cooperation with the shipping companies Color Line, Stena Line and DFDS promises successful development in 2025 as well.
The cruise industry is developing solidly again after the pandemic slump. In the freight sector, the Swedish automotive industry ensured good capacity utilisation at Stena Line in 2024. Long-term agreements in the unaccompanied bulk container sector are intended to stabilise the freight business. The number of accompanied units increased by another four percent compared to the very good 2023.
Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG, cited the key figures in his annual report: With 7.6 million tons handled and 2.7 million passengers processed, the port is only slightly behind the record results of the previous year.
The port plans to invest 70 million euros in the next five years. The freight volume to the Baltic States and the Swedish paper business experienced significant growth. Despite a slight decline, passenger business also remained at a high level overall in the ferry (1.63 million passengers) and cruise (1.1 million passengers) sectors.
Intermodal traffic in the port of Kiel is suffering from the railway infrastructure, which is in need of renovation, and the constantly rising track prices, complained Claus. The number of units handled fell to 13,000. The EU’s complaint that the state-owned DB Cargo must be profitable led to price increases. In addition, DB Cargo is withdrawing from the region altogether, reported the managing director. The port is therefore now looking for alternative freight forwarding providers in the rail sector.
The port expects a total of 175 cruise calls for the 2025 season starting in April. Since half of the expected deep-sea cruise ships have already used shore power in Kiel in recent seasons, Kiel is expecting a supply rate of 80 percent for the coming cruise season. The port of Kiel has shore power systems at all ferry and cruise terminals and already supplies 60 percent of all ferry and cruise ship calls with green electricity. An extension of the existing shore power system is currently under construction at Ostseekai, one of Kiel’s two large cruise terminals. From autumn 2025, this should make it possible to supply two cruise ships with shore power in parallel at the inner-city terminal. The declared goal is even to be able to supply seven ships with shore power at the same time.
The European Union’s “Fit for 55” agreement is also putting pressure on shore power.
By 2030, ships must be supplied with emissions-free fuel. The port is also planning further investment projects, which include port area expansion and additional photovoltaic systems as well as e-charging stations for cars and trucks. The Getreide AG halls are to be demolished to expand the port forecourt. At present, the takeover of half of the old coal-fired power plant is only being considered.
Dirk Hundertmark, Managing Director of Color Line, also attended the annual press conference in Kiel. He too was radiant with optimism. Although the 2024 result fell short of the record year of 2023, there is still enough potential for 2025. Despite the high interest rate level and a resulting decline in the private construction sector in Norway as well as weakening Scandinavian krone currencies, Color Line was able to record a stable number of Norwegian guests last year. The transport of certain goods such as building materials, on the other hand, declined, said Hundertmark. Another participant in the press conference was Thomas Ipsen from DFDS Seaways. He spoke of a reduction in the timetable to reduce CO2. Despite the geopolitical situation, DFDS is counting on a successful collaboration with the city port and has ambitious plans for 2025.
Hermann Schmidtendorf, Editor-in-Chief
