Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis participated in a visit to Germany on 25-26 May with a business delegation from the Estonian maritime and logistics sector. During the visit, the Port of Tallinn signed cooperation agreements with the ports of Lübeck and Hamburg to strengthen trade connections between Estonia and Germany.
The agreement with Lübeck focuses on the development of the maritime transport corridor between Paldiski South Harbour and Lübeck, including the possibility of strengthening the connection by adding additional departures or involving a new line operator. The agreement with Hamburg focuses on increasing cargo flows and exchanging experience in digital solutions and cybersecurity for ports.
According to Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis, Germany is one of the most important economic and logistics partners in Europe for Estonia.
“Through the ports of Hamburg and Lübeck, we are better connected to Germany, Europe’s largest economy, and from there to other European markets. For its part, the Estonian maritime sector has digital solutions to offer that help make the movement of goods faster, cleaner and more efficient. Today’s agreements will increase business opportunities for Estonian companies, increase trade, strengthen our economy and connect Estonia more firmly with Europe,” said the minister.
The Port of Lübeck is one of the leading Ro-Ro centers on the German Baltic Sea coast, i.e. cargo ports serving mainly the transport of trucks and trailers, while Hamburg is the largest railway port in Europe and Germany’s most important foreign trade gateway.
“For the Port of Tallinn, the ports of Lübeck and Hamburg are important strategic partners and we see great potential to take the current cooperation relations to a new level,” said Valdo Kalm, Chairman of the Board of the Port of Tallinn. According to Kalm, goods move between Estonia and Germany through the Muuga Harbour and the South Harbour of Paldiski, using regular Ro-Ro and container lines that connect Estonia with important hubs in Northern and Western Europe and from there to major ports in Germany.
“Closer cooperation with German ports will help open up new business opportunities in trade, cruise tourism and real estate development. We also consider it very important to exchange experiences in the areas of digitalization and cybersecurity, where the role of ports in ensuring the reliability and security of supply chains is growing,” added Kalm.
During the visit, the minister also met with representatives of the cities of Lübeck and Hamburg and the ports, visited the LHG Skandinavienkai terminal in Lübeck and the head office of HHLA, one of Europe’s leading port and transport logistics companies, in Hamburg.
The business delegation accompanying the minister included representatives from the Port of Tallinn, HHLA TK Estonia, CF&S, Esteve, Via 3L, Transfennica, DFDS, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Foundation.
(Source: https://www.ts.ee/eesti-ja-saksa-sadamad-leppisid-kokku-kaubauhenduste-tugevdamises/)
