In cooperation with the Propeller Club Basel, Port of Hamburg Marketing (HHM) hosted a port soiree for representatives of the transport and logistics sector in northern Switzerland on 12 April 2011. A total of 160 guests, including 20 from Hamburg and its metropolitan region, accepted the invitation to attend this event at the Hotel Mercure Europe Basel, where they were welcomed by Mr Thomas W.Rickli, President of the Propeller Club Basel, and Jürgen Behrens, Manager of the HHM representative office for Munich and Switzerland.
Claudia Roller, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, and Jens Meier, Managing Director of the Hamburg Port Authority, presented the Port of Hamburg as a partner and important transhipment location for Switzerland’s foreign trade. In their presentations, titled “Port of Hamburg is moving ahead” by Ms Roller, and “Hamburg – market-oriented port management in a growing metropolis” by Mr Meier, the two speakers stressed the importance of the expansion measures planned for the Port of Hamburg.
The buffet provided after the presentations was an opportunity for the guests to interact and network amongst themselves, resulting in numerous lively discussions and conversations between individuals. For the organisers, the successful evening further highlighted the importance of the Port of Hamburg for Switzerland as a market region. “In 2010, Switzerland’s overseas traffic via Hamburg recorded an increase of about 15 per cent over the previous year, with around 100,000 TEU (20-foot standard containers),” said Jürgen Behrens, HHM’s representative for Munich and Switzerland. “This accounts for almost 22 per cent of Switzerland’s total volume of trade in the year 2010.” A key factor in this positive trend is the hinterland connection to and from Hamburg by rail. Principal Swiss exports include chemical and pharmaceutical products, as well as machinery and electronic equipment.
Source: Port of Hamburg