Oldenburg, March 23, 2026 | With a 9% increase to a total maritime cargo volume of just under 60.5 million tons in 2025 (55.5 million tons in 2024), the nine seaports in Niedersachsen remain on a growth trajectory. Container handling, in particular, is on the rise, and increasing volumes were also recorded for conventional general cargo and energy transition logistics.

Container throughput at the Wilhelmshaven Container Terminal once again showed a significant upward trend last year, with growth of 74% to approximately 1.47 million TEU. General cargo handling at Niedersachsens seaports rose by 41% to over 20 million tons, driven primarily by business in iron and steel, forest products, as well as project cargo, rolling stock, and logistics related to the energy transition—e.g., the handling of wind energy components and submarine cables. This also included a total of approximately 1.63 million new vehicles in 2025 that were handled via sea in Cuxhaven, Emden, and Wilhelmshaven.

When it comes to seaborne bulk cargo handling, the trend in Niedersachsens seaports is twofold: While the handling of solid bulk cargo—such as input and output products from local industries, as well as agricultural products and construction materials, grew by 8% year-over-year to a total of 13.2 million tons, the handling of liquid bulk cargo, such as crude oil and chemical products, declined by 6% to 27.3 million tons. Total bulk cargo handling thus amounted to 40.5 million tons in 2025.

Inke Onnen-Lübben, Managing Director of Seaports of Niedersachsen GmbH, commented on the cargo handling results and port development in Niedersachsen: “The positive performance of Niedersachsens seaports over the past year reflects both our strong competitive position in the international market and our significant role as supraregional supply hubs. Port operators are making targeted investments and continuously expanding their service offerings. We demonstrate almost daily that the energy transition and the changing times can only succeed with our seaports, through transshipment activities in the renewable energy sector and project-based military logistics. Overall, however, our market environment remains challenging due to ongoing trade policy uncertainties and the structural situation of the German economy.”

Specifically, cargo handling volumes at Niedersachsens seaports developed as follows:   

Growth in Brake

The Port of Brake is projecting a total cargo throughput of approximately 5.8 million tons for 2025 (about 5.4 million tons in 2024), representing a 7% increase over the previous year. Handling of dry bulk cargo increased by 2% to around 3.2 million tons, driven primarily by higher volumes of animal feed. However, grain imports continue to be affected by the conflict in Ukraine. General cargo handling increased by 20% to over 2.2 million tons thanks to strong business with project cargo and forest products. Looking ahead, there is growth potential in Brake, particularly in the areas of renewable energy and project cargo handling, especially in light of the resumption of wind energy component handling in 2025.

Cuxhaven continues to gain momentum

With a seaborne cargo handling volume of more than 3.1 million tons, Cuxhaven has improved on the previous year’s result by 26% (approximately 2.5 million tons in 2024). The handling of wind energy components for both the onshore and offshore markets increased by nearly 52% to over 412,000 tons in 2025. This corresponds to a total of 5,275 components for the construction of wind turbines for various manufacturers. Further growth in wind energy logistics is expected in the coming years, for which handling companies are also preparing through corresponding investments. Cuxhaven’s development as a logistics hub for the automotive industry is also positive: A total of 367,605 vehicles were handled by sea last year, exceeding the previous year’s result by 9% (337,100 vehicles in 2024). In the bulk cargo sector, construction activities by a major new tenant at the site, among other factors, led to a significant increase in the import of building materials.

Positive developments in Emden

The Port of Emden is expected to grow by approximately 3% to more than 4.6 million tons in seaborne cargo handling (approximately 4.5 million tons in 2024). General cargo, totaling about 2.6 million tons, is the largest segment in the port’s maritime cargo handling portfolio on the Ems River; this primarily includes new vehicles and pulp, as well as parts and components related to energy transition logistics. Last year, for example, around 1.19 million new vehicles were handled via maritime transport in Emden, meaning the location remains one of the three largest automotive ports in Europe. A slight decline in handling figures of just under 5% compared to the previous year reflects the difficult situation in global markets (1.24 million vehicles in 2024). The handling of wind energy components increased by 13% to just under 144,000 tons. Furthermore, the import of solid bulk goods—and here, above all, just under 1.5 million tons of construction materials—contributed to Emden’s positive maritime cargo handling results.

by 2025. Through targeted expansion measures and private-sector investment, the Port of Emden will be further developed as a hub for automobiles, general cargo, and project cargo.

Leer as a regional hub

In 2025, approximately 189,000 tons of cargo were handled at the Port of Leer via combined sea and inland waterway transport. This cargo consisted primarily of decorative gravel, construction materials, animal feed, peat, and recyclables, as well as steel plates for a regional boiler manufacturing company. Compared to the previous year, this represents a decline of approximately 11% (213,090 tons in 2024), primarily due to the shift of traffic to rail. In pure maritime transport, the transshipment volume amounted to just under 10,000 tons. The Leer seaport has started the current year with positive transshipment trends, and the location is also optimistic about opening up a new business segment for the port.

Nordenham Succeeds in Its Transformation

In 2025, the Port of Nordenham handled a total of just under 2 million tons of maritime cargo, representing a 15% increase compared to 2024 (approximately 1.7 million tons). Growth was seen in the handling of liquid cargoes such as petroleum products and sulfuric acid, as well as in solid bulk cargoes, particularly construction materials and ores. General cargo handling, which accounts for about a quarter of the total cargo volume in Nordenham, increased by 8%. This includes components for the expansion of renewable energy, a business segment that is becoming increasingly important for the port on the Weser. This enables the Nordenham site to effectively replace coal handling—which has been significant for many years but declined by 12% last year to 620,000 tons compared to the previous year due to the energy transition—with new business segments.  

Domestic traffic only in Oldenburg

The temporary railway bridge over the Hunte River near Elsfleth, which cannot be crossed by seagoing vessels, continues to drive a concentration of goods deliveries via inland waterway vessels and rail in the Port of Oldenburg. In 2025, nearly 800,000 tons of goods were transshipped to and from inland waterway vessels in Oldenburg, representing a 7% increase compared to the previous year and compensating for the loss of seaborne cargo transshipment. Rail transshipment amounted to approximately 308,000 tons, bringing the total transshipment volume at the Port of Oldenburg in 2025 to 1.1 million tons, which is on par with the previous year’s level.

The port industry is currently facing significant challenges: In addition to the issue with the fixed railway crossing near Elsfleth, which prevents seagoing vessels from passing through the Hunte River to Oldenburg, there is an additional restriction due to ongoing repairs on the railway bridge over the Hunte in Oldenburg. Here, passage has been possible for inland waterway vessels for weeks only when the tide is favorable. At least progress is now being made on the new construction project for the railway overpass across the Hunte in Elsfleth, so that completion by the end of 2027 still appears feasible and seagoing vessels can once again call at the Port of Oldenburg in the foreseeable future.

Cargo handling in Papenburg is growing

In Papenburg, maritime cargo handling last year totaled nearly 618,000 tons—an increase of approximately 14% compared to 2024 (541,043 tons). This primarily included steel, ship and machinery parts, as well as peat and fertilizer. Maritime cargo handling is thus the mainstay of the Port of Papenburg. There was also significant growth in inland waterway transport, which is important for the location: With nearly 257,000 tons of goods handled, such as construction materials, volumes increased by 87% compared to the previous year (137,269 tons in 2024). For the current year, Papenburg is again expecting positive growth in cargo handling, partly due to new business establishments and project-based transactions.   

Stade sees an increase in cargo handling

The seaborne cargo volume at the Port of Stade grew by 11% last year to over 6 million tons (approximately 5.5 million tons in 2024), driven primarily by the growth of industrial companies based in Stade. For example, imports of ores as raw materials for production accounted for a volume of around 2.6 million tons, representing an increase of 11%. The handling of liquid bulk goods, such as aluminum oxide and hydroxide as well as chemical products, rose by 8% to just under 2.5 million tons. The handling of construction materials also showed positive growth, rising by 17% to around 960,000 tons. Various projects in the energy sector currently under discussion at the site offer further prospects for future cargo handling at the Port of Stade.

Container handling on the rise in Wilhelmshaven

Last year, Wilhelmshaven handled 38.3 million tons of cargo, an increase of approximately 8% compared to the previous year (approx. 35.4 million tons in 2024). General cargo handling grew by 75% to approximately 12.6 million tons, driven by volume increases in containers and vehicles. With nearly 1.47 million TEU, 74% more containers were handled in Wilhelmshaven in 2025 than in the same period the previous year. In the emerging automotive logistics sector, where extensive private investment measures are currently being implemented, seaborne transshipment in Wilhelmshaven totaled over 77,000 new vehicles, representing a 4% increase. Overall, further growth in the general cargo sector is expected in Wilhelmshaven in the coming years.

The handling of liquid bulk cargo, at just under 23.4 million tons, continues to account for the majority of cargo volume. While the trend was positive for fuels, with approximately 2.4 million tons and an 18% increase, as well as for LNG, with a volume of approximately 3.7 million tons and a 36% increase, crude oil handling volumes declined by 17% to just under 17 million tons in 2025. Coal handling remained at the previous year’s level, at approximately 1.8 million tons.

 Note: The percentages listed are based on the exact results. Due to rounding of the numbers in the text, the percentages may vary slightly in some cases.