Hamburg port adds jobs as cargo handling hits record levels

[FRANKFURT] The Port of Hamburg, Germany's gateway to the Baltics and China, is adding jobs as a surge in sea freight boosted cargo handling to record levels in the first six months of the year.

Europe's third-largest commercial harbour handled 4.8 million standard containers, or TEUs, an increase of 6.8 per cent, Port of Hamburg Marketing said in a statement on Monday. General cargo handling rose 8.8 per cent to 51.6 million tonnes, the highest on record for the first half.

"There are more workers employed in the handling terminals than in the boom year 2008," said Ingo Egloff, a member of the executive board. "The port economy is specifically seeking and employing more workers." Freight volume is picking up as the shipping industry comes to grips with the overcapacity that triggered the worst price slump since containerisation became global in the 1970s.