Germany’s Seaports Need Urgent Funding to Remain Operational, Experts Warn
Germany’s seaports are in dire need of significant funding to remain operational, according to Angela Titzrath, the CEO of the Hamburg Hafen and Logistics (HHLA) and President of the Central Association of German Seaport Operators. In an interview with the German news magazine Focus, Titzrath emphasized the need for the federal government to provide 500 million euros in annual subsidies to support the necessary modernizations and infrastructure investments.
Currently, the federal government only provides an annual subsidy of around 38 million euros, which Titzrath described as woefully inadequate. She noted that the cost of renovating a single kilometer of dockside infrastructure can range from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of euros. In contrast, other countries treat their seaports as national assets and provide substantial support, Titzrath pointed out.
“If we don’t address the investment backlog now, it will only get more expensive in the long run” Titzrath warned. She expressed hope that the current political stalemate would soon come to an end, allowing for swift and well-coordinated decisions to be made. “We don’t need discussions anymore, we just need the money” she said.
Titzrath also touched on the importance of decisive action in the face of global challenges, citing the example of US President Donald Trump’s administration, which has been characterized by a lack of continuity in decision-making. “We need to send a signal that we are a stable and reliable partner, not just for our own people but also for the international community” she said, warning that indecision could be misinterpreted as an invitation for the fragmentation of Europe.