Bremen – the breakbulk port of choice
Europe’s largest terminal for general and heavy-lift cargo can be found at Neustädter Hafen in Bremen. The logistics centre on the left bank of the River Weser specialises in handling breakbulk cargo. This refers to all cargoes which are transported unpacked, in other words, not in containers, but conventionally. This includes iron, steel and forest products, machinery and machine parts, wind turbines and all kinds of heavy-lift cargo. Neustädter Hafen handles around 550 seagoing vessels and barges per annum.
Loading and securing conventional heavy-lift cargo involves highly diverse requirements which call for customised solutions. Heavy-lift goods frequently exceed a weight of 80 tons. To ensure that even such heavyweights can be handled professionally, the special terminals at Neustädter Hafen can provide not only the necessary equipment, but also the expertise and experience of its staff.
Extensive harbour and warehouse sites that can cope with heavy-lift cargoes, cranes and horizontal transport capacities for loads of more than 200 tons, forklifts designed to cope with heavy loads and reach stackers – all of these facilities make Neustädter Hafen the port of choice for handling breakbulk. In addition to loading onto seagoing vessels, the terminal in Bremen City offers a wide range of services for handling conventional seafreight. Highly qualified skilled workers and specially trained project teams guarantee high productivity and top quality standards.
Breakbulk logistics requires flexible and trimodal equipment for transhipping the freight from truck to rail or on board ship. The facilities at the southernmost German seaport are ideally linked to the North Sea via the Lower and Outer Weser (66 nautical miles to the open sea). The road and rail connections also satisfy high requirements. That is one of the reasons for the success of Bremen’s freight village, which is located in the immediately vicinity of the terminal.
The Bremen/Bremerhaven group of ports is one of the most efficient logistics centres in Europe. The twin ports fulfil vital tasks for Germany’s business and export activities. They also play a significant role for the labour market: the port business directly or indirectly safeguards the jobs of more than 77,000 people, equivalent to roughly 20 per cent of the total jobs in the Federal Land of Bremen.
