German sea ports release ‘Bremen Declaration’

Construction costs and inflation alone mean a 10-fold increase in funding is needed, they say.

“Added to this are the costs of necessary investments in construction, replacement and modernisation, which are required to ensure security of supply in the face of a changed world situation,” the so-called ‘Bremen Declaration’ says. “Massive investment is also needed in road, rail and federal waterway links to sea ports. Here, Germany needs modern, high-performance logistics corridors for all modes of transport. The development of our sea ports must be seen as a joint task for the whole of Germany and must finally be given top priority.”

The Central Association of German Seaport Operators (ZDS) says that with 300 million tons of goods passing through the ports each year, the 1.3 million jobs associated with it and security of goods supply make it far too important to be neglected as it has been.

“Without massive investment in the infrastructures in the seaports and in hinterland transport, there is a threat of a continuing loss of importance of German locations despite their distance advantages and their high share of climate-friendly rail transport in the inflow and outflow of international goods traffic,” the declaration says.

“We as the port industry expect three things: massive investment in the future of transport and port infrastructure, financial support for the transformation processes of the energy transition and the world of work, and a clear commitment from the federal government to actively create framework conditions for market and technology leadership in Germany as a port location.”

The ZDS (Zentralverband der deutschen Seehafenbetriebe e. V., ZDS) is the federal association of 150 companies involved in seaborne cargo handling in the ports of Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein.