[ Port of Hamburg ]

Dynamic growth of container turnover continues

With a total turover of some 35mt of sea-borne cargo in the first six
months of this year the Port of Hamburg almost equalled last year’s i
mpressive tatal. But the growth of container turnover could not fully
compensate for the fall in bulk cargo. A slight decline fo 1.8% in t
he total turnover reflects bad weather of the past winter, the slower
rate fo would economic growth and recessionary trends in the German ec
onomy. Germany’s Baltic coast reported an average of 85 ice-days this
year and that made last winter the coldest for 35 years.
In the first six months of 1996 18.2mt of general cargo was handled by
the Port of Hamburg, 1% more than in the same period last year.
Conventional general cargo turnover coninued to decline by 14.9% to so
me 3mt. The volume of incoming timber cargoes fell with forestry produ
cts’ turnover suffering from the loss of one major customer. The volu
me of tropical and citrus fruits handled by conventional means only in
creased by 0.7% to 460,000 t but this figure does not include the inre
asing quantities of fruit shipped in special containers. Banana turnov
er remained at last year’s high levels with the proportion of turnove
r accounted for by transit cargoes coninuing to rise. Some 15% of bana
nas are transhipped to Scandinavia via Hamburg, 32% to Eastern Europe.
In outgoing cargoes there was a 23.1% increase in conventionally shipp
ed fertilizers on the same period last year and a 6.2% rise in the vol
ume of iron and steel products handled.
The total container turnover in the first six months of this year was
around 1.5m TEUs, an increase of 5.3% or 73,977 TEUs on the same perio
d last year. In contrast to 1995, the increase in incoming and outgoin
g container traffic was roughly the same: 5% and 5.5%. The significanc
e of container traffic for the Port of the Port of Hamburg rose during
the first six months of 1995 to 83.5% in the same period this year.
Hamburg is not just Asian firms’gateway to Europe, and in particular
Central and Eastern Europe, it also provides access to the markets of
Asia for German and Scandinavian firms in particular. In the first six
months of 1996, container traffic with Asian trading regions rose by
10%(East Asia:7.5% increased, India/Pakistan:14.1% increased). Contain
er exports to East Asia have continued to grow since the third quarter
of 1995.
A total of 449,271 TEUs was handled for North-East Asia in the first h
alf of this year. The increase in incoming containerized cargoes was
4.7% while outgoing traffic grew by 10.8%. There was also dynamic grow
th in the container traffic to and from South-East Asia: outgoing up 1
1.9%, incoming up 23.5%.
Container traffic to and from North America also increased in the six
months of this year with Hamburg gaining market shares at the expensiv
e of Bremen’s Ports. In trade with Canada Hamburg’s leading positio
n(shared with Antwerp) was further strengthened while the tonnage serv
ing the US East Coast improved consinderably thanks to contribution ma
de by several East Asian shipping lines. Hamburg’s North American con
tainer turnover increased by a total of 9.9% in the first half of 1996
while trade with Canada was up 19.4%. In cotrast, trade with South Am
erica, Africa and Australia did not meeet Hamburg’s expectations in t
he first six months of this year.
In European traffic particular mention has to be made of the growth in
trade and transit cargoes to and from Scandianvia and Finland. Conta
inerized cargoes originating from Scandinavia rose by 3.1% on the same
period of last while the increase in traffic heading for Scandinavia
was 5%. There were also considerable increases in trade with Italy, Po
rtugal, Poland and France.
In the first six months of this year, Hamburg’s bulk turnover totalle
d some 16.9% mt a decline of 4.6% or 815,507 t on the same period last
year. It proved impossible to maintain the high levels do suction and
grab cargo handled last year when unusually strong increases of 28.5%
and 14.8% respectively boosted figures. Despite that, bulk turnover i
n the first half of this year was noticeably higher than the average f
igure for the 1992-1994 period. In 1995 dramatic increases in exports
of grain due to exceptional circumstances such as the poor harvests in
Spain had greatly boosted bulk-cargo figures a once-off situation.
Whereas exports of grab cargoes rose by 7.3% in the first half of 1996
, incoming cargoes fell by 20.8%, mainly as a result of a decline in i
mports of ore, coal and building materials. This was due in part to a
deterioration in transport conditions during the hard winter but also
to a fall in demand rusulting from the slowdown in the German economy,
e. g. in the steel and construction industries.
But this year has seen an increase in the volume of liquid cargo handl
ed. Whereas last year’s total was the lowest level since 1991, this y
ear has brought a clear improvement with an increase of 12.3% or 762,7
23t reported after the first six months. Imports of petroleum products
accounted for 401,885t of this total.

Bridge Line’s name changed to Blue Star Line(Asia) Pty Limited

Blue Star Line announced that the name of its subsidiary company, Brid
ge Line Pty Limited, is to be changed to Blue Star Line(Asia) Pty Limi
ted, with effect from September this year.
Blue Star Line bought control of Bridge Line in 1990 and has been oper
ating under the name of Bridge Line since that time. The change of nam
e and identy to Blue Star Line is aimed at strengthening the corporate
image of the company in Australia and North Asian countries and to cl
early demonstrate the full integration of Bridge Line into the Blue St
ar Line management system.
Blue Star Line(Asia) Pty Limited will continue to be managed from the
regional corporate head office of the Group in Australia, together wit
h the Blue Star Line Middle East Container Service.
These companies will be located and managed in the Sydney office of Bl
ue Star Line(Asia) Pty Limited, which provide the Australian managemen
t role for all Blue Star Line interests, including the North American
trades.
The change of name from Bridge Line to Blue Star Line(Asia) Pty Limite
d will take place in September, 1996.
Bridge Line Pty Ltd was established in 1987 as a private Australia con
pany, registered in NSW ans based in Sydney.
The company is now an operating division of the UK based Vestey Group
which has substantial interest in Australia.
As a wholly owned subsidiary of Blue Star Line since 1990, the company
’s name is to be changed to Blue Star Line (Asia) Pty Ltd in Septembe
r 1996 to more closely identify with the Blue Star Line group of conpa
nies’ worldwide activities.
The overall organisation is supported in Korea by the long-established
agency company - ISA Company Limited - since commencement of service
in 1987.
In the rest of Asia, Bridge Line is represented by well established, s
ubstancial and respected companies, providing exceptional standards of
service in their respective countries. These agencies are Ben Line Ag
encies (Japan) Ltd in Japan, and EAS International Transportation in C
hina Ben Line Agencies (Hong Kong) Ltd in Hong Kong, and Integrity Shi
pping Co. Ltd in Taiwan.
The policy of the company since inception has been to provide a high c
alibre, frequent and competitive liner service, specialising in the Au
stralia/Korea/Japan and recently, China trades.
Bridge Line, under its new name Blue Star Line (Asia) Pty Ltd, will co
ntinue to make a definitive commitment of energy and resources to the
Korea, Japan, and China trades.