Rostock overseas port: 60 years of history, growth and future plans!

Rostock overseas port: 60 years of history, growth and future plans!

A powerful piece of history comes to life at Rostock's overseas port. The port, which was ceremoniously inaugurated on April 30, 1961 with the first ship, the MS Schwerin, has developed over the last six decades into one of the central hubs on the German Baltic Sea coast. With its 60th anniversary, which was to be celebrated in April 2021, the port has now secured its place as the fourth largest German seaport and is constantly developing. But glittering celebrations had to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving residents and port employees with bittersweet memories. Coolis.de reports that...

The overseas port extends over an impressive 750 hectares and offers 47 berths and a total of 11 kilometers of quays. This is enough to ship a wide range of goods including fertilizer, grain, coal and containers. Around 180 kilometers of track at the port station support the transport of these goods. The port infrastructure has been continuously expanded and expanded since the 1960s.

A look into the past

The foundation stone for the overseas port was laid in November 1957 when the SED Central Committee decided to build it. The outdated port infrastructure in downtown Rostock no longer met modern requirements, which resulted in the demolition of the venerable village of Petersdorf. Pioneers and the FDJ contributed a total of 65,000 tons of field stone and collected donations of 90 million marks for the new port. But it wasn't just technological development that was crucial. At its peak in the 1980s, the throughput volume was 20.7 million tons, almost 95 percent of which was transported by rail, which shows how important the port railway was. NDR reports that ...

After the fall of the Wall, however, there was a dramatic decline in throughput - from over 20 million tons to just 7.6 million tons in 1991. Extensive restructuring followed, which transformed VEB Seehafen Rostock into a stock corporation and finally into Rostock Port GmbH. Through investments of around 600 million euros since the fall of the Wall, the port has been able to consolidate its position again and now counts over 150 companies as its residents.

The port today and tomorrow

Today, the Rostock overseas port presents itself as a “fast port” with the most modern handling technology and a wide range of services. The port has become Germany's largest grain exporter and offers connections to Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Poland. The Warnemünde terminal is also becoming a popular port of call for cruise ships, which underlines the tourism potential of the port area. Future plans include both the production and transshipment of synthetic fuels, showing that the overseas port is adaptable to new challenges.

The planned deepening of the sea canal aims to seize new opportunities in international trade and prepare the port for the future. According to Statista, German ports, including Rostock, are not only important transport hubs, but also play an essential role in global supply chains. Statista reports that...

The Rostock overseas port continues to face challenges, but would like to further expand its core competencies. The plans for infrastructure adaptation suggest that the port will remain an important player in international trade not only in the present but also in the future.