Last year, almost 25,000 ships transported a total of 75.6 million tons of cargo through the Kiel Canal (NOK). That was 2.1% less than in 2023.
Geopolitical crises, changes in transport routes and economic changes had an impact on traffic in 2024, according to the statement. “Measured against this, the declines are moderate,” says Heiko Böschen, Head of the Maritime Shipping Subdivision at the GDWS.
Before the Ukraine war in 2021, there were still 2,771 ships to and from Russian ports, which would have transported 14.2 million tons of cargo on the NOK. In 2024, however, there were only 694 ships with 2.3 million tons.
Last year, 6.4 million tons were transported on 6,637 ships in part-load traffic. This is an increase of 1.2% and demonstrates the great importance of the Kiel Canal for the industrial areas in the Brunsbüttel area (chemicals, refinery, etc.) and the ports on the Kiel Canal.
In through traffic, the average ship (calculated average size) is 5,688 GT. This is an increase of 3.9%. The trend towards increasing ship sizes is continuing. In 2024, 10,989 bulkers, 6,375 tankers and 3,441 container ships used the Kiel Canal.
The uniform speed of 12 km/h, which has been in force since summer 2023, has increased traffic safety in the Kiel Canal. A positive aspect is that the canal embankments are less stressed by the ship engines. Overtaking situations, which place particular strain on the embankment and are also challenging from a nautical point of view, are also eliminated. As a result of the speed reduction, the passage time will increase by 45 minutes on average.
The federal government has been investing for many years to secure and further expand the attractiveness of the NOK waterway for the future. In 2024, € 297 million was invested in the NOK, more than ever before in recent decades. The focus was on the construction of the fifth lock chamber in Brunsbüttel, the replacement of the Levensau High Bridge, the construction of a new gate maintenance dock and the expansion of the eastern section of the Kiel Canal. In the current year, another construction priority is the new construction of the small locks in Kiel-Holtenau.
