Annual press conference

In the picture from left to right:
Mikko Jülich (Stena Line), Dr. Dirk Claus (PORT OF KIEL), Jörn Grage (SCA Logistics) and Dirk Hundertmark (Color Line).

PORT OF KIEL reports satisfactory results despite challenging economic and political conditions: with 7.9 million tonnes of cargo handled and 2.7 million passengers, the port is on course for growth. The port will invest €70 million over the next few years.

(Kiel, 22nd January 2026) SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG published its handling figures for 2025 on Thursday at its traditional annual press conference. The port closed with a record freight volume of 7.965 million tonnes (+4.8%) and a healthy passenger growth of +1.2% (2.7 million passengers). Freight volumes to the Baltic States and the Swedish paper industry are experiencing significant growth, and volumes on Scandinavian ferry routes have also recovered. Passenger business is growing slightly at a high level in the ferry (1.62 million passengers) and cruise (1.11 million passengers) sectors. ‘We have achieved a good result in a challenging market environment. Economic development in Scandinavia will continue to be of paramount importance to us in 2026. We are particularly optimistic about the strong development in the Baltic States and the positive development in Sweden,’ says Dr Dirk Claus, Managing Director of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG.

As a result of the slight economic recovery in Sweden, volumes on the route to Gothenburg rose by 2.29%, while traffic to Oslo declined by 3.53%. Traditionally, freight volumes to western Sweden are significantly higher than those to Norway. The trend at the Ostuferhafen, which once again accounts for just under half of the total throughput at the Port of Kiel with 3.9 million tonnes handled, remains positive. The route to the Baltic States has seen positive growth for the third year in a row, closing at 3.0 million tonnes (+8.8%). The paper business also continued to develop positively, closing with significant growth (total result 782,000 tonnes, +5.2%). The transhipment of bulk goods, which is of great importance to the regional construction industry, also remained stable at just over one million tonnes. Intermodal transport in the Port of Kiel continued to suffer in 2025 from quality issues and steadily rising prices, falling to 8,529 units.

In 2025, 187 cruise ships carrying a total of 1.11 million passengers called at the port of Kiel. Despite a similar number of calls as in previous years, the good booking situation for the ships resulted in a 5% increase in passenger numbers.‘With over one million cruise passengers, smooth operations and good use of shore power by the shipping companies, our conclusion on the cruise season is positive,’ says Claus. New for the 2025 season were the winter cruises departing from Kiel, which were carried out to the satisfaction of all involved.

For the 2026 season, which began on 4th January 2026, the port expects a total of 212 cruise ship calls with 1.2 million passengers. With the completion and commissioning of the second shore power facility at Ostseekai, the port of Kiel has been able to supply three ocean-going cruise ships with shore power simultaneously since the end of the 2025 season. With these capabilities, the seaport is aiming for a shore power rate of 75% for ferries and cruise ships in 2026.

Following investments of over €50 million in shore power facilities in recent years, €70 million will be invested in the coming years, primarily in the Ostuferhafen. The focus here is on expanding the port and logistics areas.

With the construction of two electric truck charging stations at Ostuferhafen and Norwegenkai by summer 2026 and the end of 2026, respectively, the seaport is expanding its range of clean and quiet transport options.

A real milestone is the integration of DFDS ferries into the shore power infrastructure, which will begin in January 2026. Once integration is complete, all ferries in the port of Kiel will be able to be supplied with shore power. ###