Ultra Large Container Ships

In 2022, vessels in the 'Megamax' class with more than 18,000 TEU slot capacity called at Hamburg a total of 234 times (+6 per cent). The increasing number of Megamax container ships indicates further acceptance of the fairway adjustment, even with its depth temporarily reduced and shows that shipping companies have rapidly adapted to the new conditions.

A five-percent increase also occurred in calls by the second largest category – vessels between 14,000 and 17,999 TEU. Yet those by ships with between 10,000 and 13,999 TEU decreased by 16.6 percent. The total number of calls by ‘large containerships’ therefore fell by 1.2 percent to 486.

Calls by medium-sized containerships with capacities of between 8,000 and 9,999 TEU, or VLCCs - Very Large Container Ships, grew by 11 percent. In the second half, especially, it was only small containerships and feeder vessels that were arriving in the port less often.