Maritime Trade and Transport - HWWI

Generally speaking, it should be assumed that the increasing flow of trade will continue
in the future to produce growth impulses for increased value and employment at port locations.
It has an influence on the development of the port itself and of the economic sectors
linked with it (see Fig. 32), such as logistics and ship-related services. Economic sectors such
as the food and food processing industry, refineries, shipyards (see Box 4), and ship-related
services of all kinds are also often found in close proximity to a port. In addition, former port
areas are being used increasingly all over the world for residential purposes (see Box 5).
The extent to which the future expansion in cargo handling in ports will impact regional
income and employment will depend on the specific economic structures of the location that
is involved, on the extent to which the port economy is interlaced with other economic sectors
in the region, and on the specific determinants of the development of port economics and
the accompanying competitive situation.
Box 4
56 Berenberg Bank · HWWI: Strategy 2030 · No. 4
Ports and shipyards 1
As an economic sector, the shipyard industry in Germany, as in Europe as a whole, has
traditionally been closely linked with port development, exerting a potent effect on
employment. Shipbuilding and maintenance, along with other segments of port economics,
have clearly had a positive economic effect in German port cities. Since the
1990s, however, a definite slump has been observed in the shipyard industry. As a result
of a rapid decline in employment since the 1990s, only 23,000 people are still at work
at German shipyards, 37,000 fewer than fifteen years ago. Eastern Germany was particularly
affected by this loss in shipbuilding jobs. Since reunification, some 11,800 jobs
have been eliminated in the former state-owned shipyards in Mecklenburg-Western
Pomerania (Stralsund and Neptun Stahlbau). 2 Apart from the immense reduction of
jobs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, the bankruptcy of Bremer Vulkan AG in 1996
was a critical moment in the history of German shipyards. In Hamburg, the employment
decline of 30% as against 1990 was relatively minor when compared with the
other shipyard locations in northern Germany.
Even though the significance of shipbuilding has decreased considerably over the
years, shipyards continue to strongly influence the structure of parts of Germany and in
many places is an important component of the maritime industry. In Lower Saxony,
6,000 people still worked in shipbuilding in 2005. In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania,
this figure was 5,700. 3 In addition to the 120 shipbuilding companies in Germany, there
are approximately 400 supplier companies with some 70,000 employees. 4 Many of the
1 See VSM (2005).
2 See Schneider (2005).
3 See N.N. (2005a).
4 See Schwandt (2005).
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