The Port of Hamburg recorded strong growth in container throughput during the first half of the year, despite a sharp decline in cargo trade with the United States, according to data released by Hafen Hamburg Marketing on Monday. According to the data, container throughput at the Port of Hamburg increased by 9.3 percent to reach 4.2 million TEUs in the first half of the year, despite continued slow economic growth and a tense geopolitical environment. Meanwhile, seaborne cargo throughput at the port reached 57.8 million tons from January to June, marking a year-on-year increase of 3.6 percent. Among Hamburg's partner countries, only trade with the United States declined in the first six months, with container throughput dropping 19.3 percent to 275,000 TEUs. Axel Mattern, CEO of Hafen Hamburg Marketing, attributed this decline to frequent changes in U.S. tariff policies, which not only reflect uncertainties in American trade policies but also negatively impact global seaborne trade. In the first six months, growth in container throughput at the port was mainly generated by trade lanes with the Far East and the Baltic Sea region. Container throughput between the Port of Hamburg and China grew by 10.5 percent to 1.2 million TEUs in the first half of the year, accounting for 28.6 percent of the port's total throughput during that period. China remains the port's largest trading partner and a key driver of its cargo trade growth. Additionally, new liner services connecting Hamburg's port with the Mediterranean, the Middle East, and India also saw significant increases. SHOTLIST: Beijing, China - Aug 18, 2025 1. Various of screenshots of data released by Hafen Hamburg Marketing; FILE: Berlin, Germany - Date Unknown 2. Various of Reichstag building, national flags of Germany; FILE: Berlin, Germany - July 2022 3. Various of traffic; FILE: Hamburg, Germany - 2014 4. Various of containers, freight train, truck at Port of Hamburg; FILE: Hamburg, Germany - July 15, 2025 5. Various of ships, facilities at Port of Hamburg. [Restrictions: No access Chinese mainland]