The ports of Bremen and Bremerhaven closed the first half of 2026 with a total traffic of 34.5 million tons, 5.9% more than in the same period of 2025. This result extends the growth trajectory of the German enclave, which had closed 2025 with 4.9 million TEUs and a rise of 10.3% in the container sector.
In the second quarter of the year, the port complex reached 17.8 million tons, 6.0% above the same period in the previous year. General cargo was at 15.6 million tons, 5.6% more, of which 13.7 million corresponded to containerized cargo, 4.8% above the previous year, with a movement of 1.3 million TEUs and an increase of 6.9%. Conventional cargo contributed another 1.9 million tons, with a rise of 12.2%. The bulk sector closed the quarter at nearly 2.3 million tons, 8.6% more.
In the cumulative total for the first half, container traffic reached 26.7 million tons, 4.8% more, and 2.6 million TEUs, 5.7% above the first half of 2025. Conventional cargo increased by 9.8% and totaled 3.5 million tons. The handling of new vehicles, one of Bremerhaven's historical specialties, reached 614,000 units, 2.4% more than in the first half of the previous year. Bulk cargo grew by 9.6% over the entire semester and totaled around 4.3 million tons.
The breakdown by sectors indicates a cross-cutting recovery of activity. The conventional cargo segment, which groups project loads, steel products, paper, and cellulose, among other products, registers the highest percentage growth both in the quarter and in the cumulative total, with increases of 12.2% and 9.8% respectively. Bulk cargo also grows strongly in both time frames, with increases above 8% in both measurements. In new vehicles, a cyclical traffic sensitive to the European industrial situation, the semester remains positive despite the cooling of the car market in the European Union.
The container terminal in Bremerhaven, the main facility of the complex, has 14 berths for large container ships, nearly five kilometers of quay line, and 40 quay cranes, according to data published by the facility itself. A study by the Institute of Shipping Economics and Logistics (ISL), commissioned by bremenports and released in May, described the facility as one of the central nodes of container traffic in Europe, serving a dual role as an entry point to the German hinterland and as a transshipment hub between long-distance services and feeders. Rail connectivity with the interior of the country is, for the port authority itself, one of the key competitive factors of the facility.
The European picture for the first half is uneven and places the progress of Bremerhaven among the most favorable in the North Range. Hamburg closed the period with 56.1 million tons, 3.1% less, and 4.0 million TEUs, with a drop of 3.8%, affected by the modernization works at its terminals and by the reduction in imports of oil products linked to the war in Iran. Antwerp-Bruges fell by 2.4% in total tonnage and 1.5% in TEUs, penalized by strikes and by the spill at the Deurganck quay recorded in April. Rotterdam remained virtually flat in containers, with slight increases in bulk. In this context, Bremerhaven and Wilhelmshaven are the two ports in northern Europe with clearer growth in the container segment during the first six months of the year.
The main market for the German facility in terms of container volume is China, with the United States in second position, according to the global ranking compiled by the American publication AJOT based on terminal data. The transatlantic connection remains one of the historical traffics of the enclave, which in 2025 was ranked as the 41st container port in the world.
The performance of the first half is of special interest for the Spanish port system because Bremerhaven is the closest European reference to the Port of Algeciras in the UNCTAD maritime connectivity index, which from early 2026 places the German facility in the fifth position in Europe and the Strait port in sixth. The traffic data now released by bremenports provides the operational foundation for that position in the ranking, compiled based on scheduled calls, capacity offered in TEUs, and connections with other ports.
