APM Terminals and Germany’s Eurogate plan to invest €1 billion in modernising their joint North Sea Terminal Bremerhaven (NTB), targeting a step-change in capacity, efficiency and decarbonisation at the German gateway. The partners are in advanced negotiations on a long-term arrangement under which NTB will be upgraded into one of Europe’s most modern and resilient container terminals, operating with zero greenhouse gas emissions.
The project will replace and modernise terminal equipment and expand annual handling capacity from about 3 million TEU today to around 4 million TEU, positioning Bremerhaven more strongly on the North Range alongside hubs such as Rotterdam and Hamburg. Core measures include full electrification of yard and quay equipment and switching to renewable electricity, which would make NTB Germany’s first container terminal to run with zero direct GHG emissions once fully implemented.
Maersk CEO Vincent Clerc said Bremerhaven has “unique potential to grow as a strategic hub” for cargo flows into Germany and Maersk’s global ocean network, adding that the investment is intended to future-proof the terminal and strengthen supply-chain resilience for German industry. Eurogate Group chairman Michael Blach called the plan a continuation of more than 25 years of successful partnership at NTB, highlighting that the upgrade will secure “many high-value jobs” in the region over the long term.
Bremen mayor Andreas Bovenschulte welcomed the move as proof of the port’s competitiveness and stressed that, alongside private superstructure spending, federal investment in deepening the Outer Weser remains essential to fully unlock the terminal’s potential for larger vessels. A planning process for deepening the fairway is already under way in public administration, and the overall €1 billion programme remains subject to internal and regulatory approvals before execution.
