Hamburg's vital trade with China grew by 0.7 per cent last year, reaching 2.2 million TEU. This keeps China firmly as the port’s top trading partner, followed by the USA, which set a new record for container handling in Hamburg with 685,000 TEU—an increase of 5.0 per cent.

India, an emerging market, also showed strong growth, increasing its handling volume by 2.1 per cent to 195,000 TEU in Hamburg. Additionally, trade with Sri Lanka, the largest transshipment hub for the Indian subcontinent, saw significant expansion, rising by 12.4 per cent to 140,000 TEU.