In particular, rail freight traffic with China increased by around 70 percent in the past financial year. In 2019, an average of 35 to 40 trains per week were still traveling between Duisburg and various destinations in China. From the second quarter of 2020, the Port of Duisburg registered an increase to up to 60 trains per week. There were also encouraging developments in Eastern Europe. Expanded connections in the trailer business to Poland have already made a significant contribution to years of continuous growth.

The duisport network grows during the crisis

"This growth in the container business is not solely due to pandemic-related catch-up effects. In the second half of the year in particular, our strategy of adding more Chinese destinations to our train services in April - in the middle of the first lockdown - paid off. All major logistics hubs in Europe and Asia are now an integral part of our network. We have systematically expanded our position as the preferred destination for Eastern European and Asian freight traffic to Europe. Our customers appreciate our flexibility and efficiency - and in particular our rapid onward transportation options. We have already approved further investments in order to remain an attractive partner in the bulk goods business. Duisburg remains a multimodal port, and that will not change," emphasizes duisport CEO Erich Staake.

Strengthening rail transportation

In 2021, the Port of Duisburg will continue on its successful path of shifting freight traffic, especially from Eastern Europe (trucks, semi-trailers, trailers), from road to rail. The expansion measures and customer settlements that have been implemented so far, in particular DSV and MAERSK at logport VI, will provide further important impetus for duisport's cargo handling: "Despite the positive development, we must exercise a sense of proportion and realism," emphasizes the Chairman of the Executive Board of Duisburger Hafen AG. "Since the vaccination strategies in the EU countries are getting off to a much worse start than in the USA or the UK, for example, we must expect a drop in demand and further restrictions due to lockdowns in our domestic market. In logistics in particular, which is characterized by small and medium-sized companies, further uncertainty among consumers could have negative consequences. In 2021, the second year of the pandemic, we are still exposed to considerable uncertainty and are by no means out of the woods," warns Staake.