The Port of Hamburg aims to strengthen its business with the Gulf region and has opened a new representative office in Dubai for this purpose.
The aim is to expand its presence in one of the most important growth regions for global trade, HHM announced on the official integration of the branch, which was established in January, into its own network. The Gulf region is not only a central hub between Europe, Asia and Africa, but is also becoming increasingly important for future energy sources and new supply chain structures.
The region’s economic dynamism is reflected in the Port of Hamburg: the “Hamburg – UAE/Red Sea/Gulf” container traffic connection recorded a 28.8% increase in throughput to around 130,000 TEU in the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period last year. With the UAE alone, the region’s strongest partner country in direct container traffic, the Port of Hamburg held a market share of almost 80% among the German seaports in 2024 as a whole.
According to the HHM managers, new and expanded liner services point to a continued positive development in throughput. The Gulf region is also gaining relevance as a future market for renewable energies. Massive investments in solar and wind energy as well as in the development of value chains for green hydrogen make the region a key partner. The Port of Hamburg wants to benefit from this as a transshipment point for project logistics and, in the long term, as a destination port for green energy sources.
Platform for companies and strategic cooperation
The “Hamburg Representative Office UAE and Gulf Region”, the official name of the office, which is supported by several institutions, serves as a central point of contact for companies from Hamburg and for member companies of HHM. Partners are the Senate Chancellery of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Ministry of Economics, Labor and Innovation, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Hamburg Tourism, Hamburg Messe und Congress and Port of Hamburg Marketing.
The representative office is headed by Kirsten Staab, who has been working in the region for over 25 years and has been head of the Hamburg representative office since 2008. “It can be assumed that blue and green hydrogen and its derivatives from the Gulf region will play a greater role in supplying Germany with alternative energy sources in future – so it is all the more important that the Port of Hamburg is present in the region as a hydrogen import hub and is perceived as a strong partner,” says Staab. “With Kirsten Staab, we are delighted to have an experienced contact with comprehensive regional expertise and a broad network to support our members in opening up markets in the UAE and the Gulf region,” says Hendrik Meyn, CEO of HHM.
The representative office also focuses on strategic exchange with local market participants and the development of long-term, trusting partnerships between the Port of Hamburg and organizations in the Gulf States. These collaborations are intended to help strengthen resilient supply chains and further position Hamburg as an internationally networked port location.
