Splash 247 — 2026-10-09
Maritime and Ports
German port operators are pressing Berlin for a national funding partnership, arguing that infrastructure essential to trade, energy security and industrial supply chains cannot remain a purely regional responsibility.
The Allianz Deutsche Häfen renewed its call at a Berlin gathering this week, bringing together port executives, industrial groups, retailers and federal transport representatives. Participants included parliamentary transport state secretary Christian Hirte and Lidl Germany boss Friedrich Fuchs.
Hamburg Port Authority chief financial officer Tino Klemm, speaking for the alliance, called for federal and state governments to agree shared responsibilities, clear priorities and long-term investment commitments.
Salzgitter chief executive Gunnar Groebler argued that ports deserve the same national recognition as energy networks.
“We should also treat our ports as what they are: strategic infrastructure of national interest,” he said.
Participants stressed that spending must extend beyond terminals to the roads, railways and waterways connecting them with industry and consumers.
The alliance’s wider demands include substantially higher federal contributions to port funding and money from Germany’s special infrastructure fund to tackle the modernisation backlog.
Its members include bremenports, Brunsbüttel Ports, Duisburger Hafen, Hamburg Port Authority, Seehafen Kiel, Lübeck Port Authority, Niedersachsen Ports and Rostock Port.
The group wants faster delivery and closer coordination between government, industry and port operators, presenting reliable gateways as a prerequisite for German competitiveness rather than a concern confined to coastal states.