According to the Project Logistics Monitor 2025, logistics providers and shippers in the heavy goods sector are largely expecting export volumes to decline or stagnate at best.
According to a new survey, the project and heavy goods shipping sector cannot expect a recovery in cargo volumes on the European continent this year.
The “Project Logistics Monitor 2025” by the Bremen Port and Logistics Association (BHV) paints a gloomy picture of the situation. 33% of survey participants expect the project and heavy cargo market to shrink this year, 38% anticipate stagnation and only 29% expect the market to grow. The association, which represents the interests of seaport and logistics companies in the ports of Bremen, surveyed around 70 service providers and shippers from the project and heavy-lift cargo sector for the monitor. Alongside Antwerp, the terminals in Bremen and Bremerhaven are a focal point for the handling of large, heavy cargoes on the continent.
The companies’ forecasts for their own business development are even weaker. For example, 47% of those surveyed expect export volumes to fall this year, while only 17% expect cargo volumes to increase.
To explain the poor sentiment, BHV points to the feared negative effects of the Trump administration’s trade and customs policy measures on US and Chinese traffic. There is also uncertainty about the consequences for the market of the USA turning away from renewable energy sources in favor of fossil fuels.
In the survey, logistics companies and shippers still rate the past 2024 financial year comparatively well. 47% report better business development, 21% report stable business development.
Despite the subdued expectations, job cuts are not an issue for the majority of companies. 32% of those surveyed still want to increase their staff in the project sector, 58% plan to keep the same number of employees. However, additional staff or replacements for departing employees are difficult to find. Two thirds of respondents continue to complain about a lack of qualified applicants. (mph)
