Seaports of Niedersachsen GmbH
About us
The Seaports of Niedersachsen are your reliable partners for High & Heavy, OOG shipping, project cargo and any kind of breakbulk loads!
Whether special transports with high unit weights, oversized plant components or valuable capital goods - the Seaports of Niedersachsen are among the leading transshipment hubs for project cargo of all kinds.
With efficient handling facilities, generously dimensioned warehouse capacities and open storage areas as well as experienced teams, our port service providers ensure professional handling, secure storage and also provide support for assembly and maintenance work directly in the seaport.
In addition to port logistics, our customers can benefit from a wide range of services from various suppliers in the Seaports of Niedersachsen. These include, for example, stevedoring and lashing work, tallying, seaworthy packaging, ship clearance, customs services, bonded warehousing as well as forwarding services and the planning of transport concepts.
Meet the companies from our unique port network along the German Bight!
Products & services
Seaports Project Cargo
From traditional bulk goods and new vehicles to wind turbine components – cargo handling at the nine seaports of Lower Saxony is highly diverse. Experienced and highly specialized partners are available for loading and unloading both sea-going and inland vessels. Numerous logistics service providers and companies specialized in port handling offer high-quality, customer-focused, and cost-efficient solutions for all types of cargo. Are you looking for experienced partners for breakbulk, project cargo, or other freight? Select the type of cargo you need handled here and find competent contacts for transporting goods by water.
Our Ports
All nine ports Full speed ahead - the right port for every need.
Port of Wilhelmshaven
The location Wilhelmshaven is the site, where Germany’s only deep-water container port can be found. Located on the west side of the Jade estuary between the rivers Weser and Ems, the port location is divided into an exterior and a tide-independent interior port that can be reached via a sea lock. Here, short approach travel distances facilitate the processing of ships of all sizes. The goods processed here are diverse: Wilhelmshaven has long established itself as an energy hub and as the largest German import port for crude oil. In addition, the seaport is an important hub for mineral oil products, coal and chemical products. Another focus is on the handling and storage of temperature-controlled goods. Wilhelmshaven also offers optimal conditions as a base, service and logistics location for the offshore wind energy industry, while the JadeWeserPort Container Terminal handles the world’s largest container ships on a 24/7 basis. On top of its ideal location and its many specializations, the Seaport of Wilhelmshaven also offers infrastructural advantages: Its optimal connection to the Federal Freeway system (Autobahn) and to rail network ensures the timely transport of the handled cargoes. In addition, the GVZ (Cargo Transport Center) provides comprehensive settlement opportunities for port-related service companies. image source: Falcon Crest Air
Port of Stade
The tide-independent Seaport of Stade is located directly on the maritime shipping route of the River Elbe, between Hamburg and the Elbe estuary. An essential location advantage of this efficient industrial port lies in the diversity of resident companies: At the seaport, customers benefit from short distances to various port service providers – for example in the specialized areas of mooring, the stowage of break bulk and bulk cargoes, ships’ clearance, port transfers and dangerous goods transports. In the southern part of the port, there are ideal prerequisites for the handling of liquid and gaseous raw materials. The northern dock is used for loading bauxite, aluminum hydroxide, and aluminum oxide. In addition, there is an attractive growth potential at the Seaport of Stade – for instance at the extension to the North Pier, where a multi-purpose terminal with rail siding is planned. The Seaport of Stade owes its excellent maritime connection to its proximity to the North Sea and the Kiel Canal. This port location is also ideally connected to the hinterland via Stade’s Industrial Rail Terminal and via the extensive road network.
Port of Papenburg
The Seaport of Papenburg is situated immediately on the Federal Waterway Ems – as the southernmost seaport in Germany. Some 75 percent of the goods handled here come from maritime transport. Among other things, the innovative shipyard Meyer Werft has its headquarters here. There is an enormous growth potential at this site: With the Bokeler Bogen (‘Bokel Bend’ a commercial & industrial area), Papenburg offers both, companies with an affinity to the port, and manufacturing companies attractive opportunities to settle down here. Papenburg is Niedersachsen’s number one port for peat handling. In addition, agricultural goods, iron, steel, building materials, wood and project cargo are also processed here. Thanks to the excellent hinterland connection, the goods handled in Papenburg are reaching business hubs in Germany and Europe. Via the Dortmund-Ems Canal, the Seaport of Papenburg is connected to the inland waterway network, and it is also in the immediate vicinity of the Federal Freeway, the ‘Autobahn’.
Port of Oldenburg
The Seaport of Oldenburg is the most handled interior port in Niedersachsen. Here at this central transport hub in the heart of the Weser-Ems region, customers are benefiting from short distances to various port logistics services. In addition, the port benefits from the City of Oldenburg as an innovative location and economic engine in the region. The most important cargoes handled at the Seaport of Oldenburg are agricultural goods, such as feed stock and feed supplements that are transported from Oldenburg to the rest of Europe and to the Middle East. In addition, the port supplies the dynamically growing region with building materials for potential construction projects. Via the Seaport of Oldenburg, various scrap metals and other secondary raw materials travel all the way to China. The port owes its tremendous reach to its excellent trimodal connection to the Federal Freeway system (Autobahn) and the rail network, and to the inland and sea waterways.
Port of Nordenham
Located right on the deep navigation channel of the Outer Weser river is the Seaport of Nordenham – the largest privately operated public seaport in Germany. Over the course of its 100-year history, the port location has continued to evolve to provide the best possible logistics solutions for steel products, wood, petroleum products, and other cargoes. Today, the Seaport of Nordenham offers tailor-made logistics solutions – from storage to freight handling, to comprehensive value-added services. Nordenham is the ideal seaport for various cargoes: In the Stadthafen (City Port), solid bulk goods such as coal and coke are handled, but also forest products, various liquid bulk and project cargo. Especially the Multi-Purpose Terminal has proven to be quite successful for the area of underwater marine cable logistics and for other offshore activities. The terminal in Blexen has a combined bulk cargo and RoRo pier where, in addition to NF (non-ferrous) concentrates, aircraft fuselage shells are loaded. The Seaport of Nordenham is trimodal extremely well connected to the arterial road and long-distance rail networks and – via the water route – to the German Bight. Therefore, this site provides quick access to both the North Sea and the European hinterland.
Port of Leer
The Seaport of Leer is the second largest ship owner site in Germany (by number of ships owned), and one of the most important municipal inland ports in Niedersachsen. Here, the Maritime Faculty at the University Emden-Leer, two shipyards, and numerous suppliers and service providers are forming a strong maritime cluster at the port location. The main cargoes that are handled here are locally produced agricultural goods from Leer, such as fertilizers and feed stock, which are processed and loaded on site. Solid bulk goods that are handled at the Seaport of Leer include building materials, iron, and steel scrap. This sea and inland port is trimodally linked: On the water side, the freight travels via the Dortmund-Ems Canal to the Ruhr Area and further to the BeNeLux Countries. The berths in the tide-free port can be reached via a sea lock from the North Sea via the River Ems. As an important transport hub, the train station of Leer connects the port with the major economic centers in the north, east, south and west. In addition, the seaport is connected to the international long-distance road network via the Federal Freeways 31 and 28 (Autobahn). A modern self-service system is available that allows for smooth on-transport from the berth by truck and makes it possible for goods to be handled 24/7.
Port of Emden
Near the estuary, where the River Ems flows into the North Sea, lies the Seaport of Emden – the third largest and most westerly seaport in Germany. The site consists of an exterior port (Outer Port) that is <strongexposed to the tides, and the tide-independent Interior Port that is accessible 24/7 via two powerful large sea locks. Here, the main focus is on the handling of new vehicles that are handled at the RoRo berths, and on providing any logistics services for automobile manufacturers. Other chief cargoes handled here are forestry products (cellulose, paper, wood, etc.), project cargo (most notably on and offshore wind energy components), as well as liquid and solid bulk goods. In addition, the Seaport of Emden offers infrastructural advantages in terms of location: For instance, large expansion areas for commercial and industrial settlements with an affinity to the port, but also an excellent trimodal connection that allows swift and efficient loading and unloading. image source: Elsen
Port of Cuxhaven
Opposite the Kiel Canal, at the Elbe estuary by the North Sea, lies the Seaport of Cuxhaven. Thanks to its favorable transport situation, the future-oriented business location of Cuxhaven has long established itself as a logistics hub with a key function. Building on a long tradition as a fishing port, the Seaport of Cuxhaven is now one of the most important RoRo ports in Germany. At Cuxhaven’s multi-function port, customers from different industries benefit from excellent location conditions – for example for the offshore wind industry, for which Cuxhaven is a highly specialized base and supply port. In addition, the port offers efficient processing of goods using the Lolo and RoRo processes. Here, customers will find a wide range of know-how, state-of-the-art technology, and high flexibility to help them respond quickly to market requirements at any time. The excellent connection of the seaport provides an optimal starting position for smooth and fast handling of goods. image source: Cuxport GmbH
Port of Brake
The Seaport of Brake has established itself alongside the major European ports, with state-of-the-art port infrastructure and versatile cargo handling. The multi-functional seaport is a heavily frequented cargo handling hub – for instance for agricultural goods that are discharged and stored here in Europe’s largest coherent silo facility. Modern self-service systems allow the further transport by truck around the clock. Iron and steel as well as wind power and project cargo are handled via the 450-metre-long Niedersachsenkai in the north, where state-of-the-art handling technology is used. Spacious heavy load areas and state-of-the-art warehouses are available here. The seaport of Brake also specializes in the handling of forestry products and is Germany's largest import port for cellulose. The excellent port infrastructure enables product-specific handling and storage for pulp, paper and wood. The seaport of Brake offers flexibility and tailor-made solutions - thanks to trimodal hinterland connections and space potential, highly specialized handling technology and many years of expertise. image source: J. Müller