Port of Kiel traffic down 5% in first half of 2009

However in June, breakbulk managed to maintain the levels of the previous month and “in the wake of a weak first quarter, one contributor to handling which is now again showing a positive trend, was our entry into the container handling sector,” said Dirk Claus, managing director, Port of Kiel (Seehafen Kiel GmbH).

Since mid-March, Kiel has operated a regular container service to and from Riga and “Even if current handling volumes are not as high as expected due to the current economic situation, this is an important step in the development of the port”, said Claus.

To make container handling possible, a high-capacity Gottwald mobile harbour crane has been acquired. Capable of lifting loads of up to 140 tons, the crane has an outreach of more than 50 ms. This means that it can load or unload containers across all current types of vessels operating in the Baltic. As well as containers, the new crane also handles heavy cargo and project loads.