Strong growth of HHLA group in the intermodal segment
Container throughput of HHLA group rose 6.8 per cent in the first six months of the year; Intermodal segment profits from new links to Austria
Intermodal companies of the Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), which were continued after the withdrawal of TFG Transfracht, are looking back on a successful first half of the year 2013. The railway companies Metrans and Polzug as well as the trucking company CTD were able to gain market shares in the first six months of 2013. With growth of 21.8 per cent to 581,000 TEU in a market environment characterised by lower overall volumes, their transport volume increased significantly, the enterprise announced at the presentation of the 2013 half-year report.
Key contributing factors were the new connections to Austria, Germany and the seaports in Poland. The Metrans hub terminal in the Czech city of Ceska Trebova – which went into operation in early 2013 – rounds off the intermodal network and relieves Metrans’ Prague hub. Revenue at the segment’s remaining companies exceeded the previous year’s level by a considerable margin. The operating result (EBIT) also increased, but was slowed in its dynamic by the start-up costs for network expansion and new connections as well as the extreme flooding in the area of key hinterland connections in May and June.
HHLA’s container terminals in Hamburg and Odessa, Ukraine, increased their throughput by 6.8 per cent to 3.8 million TEU. This success is primarily attributable to strong growth in European feeder traffic to the Baltic Sea (up by 12.6 per cent), and to a substantial recovery of Far East traffic.
Group revenue increased by 1.6 per cent to EUR 575.2 million. The operating result (EBIT) – adjusted for one-off gains – increased slightly, but failed to match this volume growth due to continuing costs relating to modernisation and restructuring as well as the expenses associated with the flooding in the area of key hinterland connections. “The volume growth confirms our strategy of combining a leading position in terms of the performance and technology of our terminals with our highly productive hinterland systems”, Klaus-Dieter Peters, Chairman of the HHLA Executive Board, said about business development in the period from January to June 2013.
Quelle: LogEastics
Portal: www.logistik-express.com