After seven quarterly periods of decline, in the last quarter of 2023 container traffic at port terminals that make part of the network of the Eurokai group in Hamburg has returned to 2.97 million TEUs, with a increase of +6.2% over the October-December quarter of 2022.

The increase was mainly driven by the record traffic from terminals that are most recently become part of the Eurokai network historically founded terminals in Germany and Italy: overall in the quarter In the quarter of 2023, these new terminals handled 907 thousand TEUs (+30.0%), of which 798 thousand TEUs in the Moroccan port of Tanger Med (+30.9%) and 110 thousand TEUs in the Cypriot port of Limassol (+30.5%).

In addition, the overall recovery in traffic has been produced by the also due to the return to the positive trend of traffic in the terminals of the group which are operated by Contship Italia, which is 66.6% owned by Eurokai and 33.4% by Eurogate (joint 50:50 venture between Eurokai and compatriot BLG Logistics): after six quarters of decline, in the fourth quarter of 2023 the terminals of Contship Italia reported a +6.7% increase in traffic having handled 410,000 TEUs, of which 276,000 TEUs in the port of La La Spezia (+8.2%), 45 thousand TEUs in the port of Ravenna (+6.8%) and 90 thousand TEUs in the port of Salerno (+2.2%).

As in the previous seven quarters, however, in the last Container traffic at German terminals in 2023 quarter decreased by -3.6% to €1.67 million. TEUs, of which 1.13 million TEUs in the port of Bremerhaven (+2.1%), 411 thousand TEUs in the port of Hamburg (-8.7%) and 119 thousand TEUs in the port of call Wilhelmshaven (-27.8%).

In the full year 2023, the group's terminals handled A total of 11.24 million TEUs, down -5.3% on 2022. In Germany, traffic amounted to 6.53 million TEUs (-10.5%), of which 4.18 million TEUs in Bremerhaven (-8.6%), 1.81% million TEUs in Hamburg (-10.8%) and 532 thousand TEUs in Wilhelmshaven (-22,2%). In Italy, the total was 1.55 million TEUs (-6.9%), including 1.01 million TEUs handled in La Spezia (-11.8%), 345 thousand TEUs in Salerno (+10.1%) and 190 thousand TEUs in Ravenna (-5,0%). The group's other terminals handled 3.16 million TEUs, with an increase of +8.7% limited by the cessation of operations in the Russian port of Ust-Luga, where In 2022, 18 thousand TEUs had been handled, due to the war initiated by Moscow against Ukraine. In 2023 in the port of Tanger alone Med 2.77 million TEUs were handled (+10.1%) and in the port Limassol 390 thousand TEUs (+4.9%).

Today, meanwhile, Eurokai presented its economic results achieved in the financial year 2023, which is open President Thomas H. Eckelmann with a moving remembrance of the wife Cecilia Battistello, who died last month, who for over 25 years old he has led Contship Italia and - recalled Eckelmann - She was the first woman to lead the company of Contship Containerlines and a personality strong in a male-dominated industry.

In 2023, Eurokai recorded revenues of €219.1 million euro, down -11.5% on the previous year. The Useful amounted to €37.8 million (-38.5%) and net profit at €52.2 million (-54.1%).