Container traffic and hydrogen offer significant opportunities

Report by the Rhine-Neckar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK), 24 April 2026

The ports of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen continue to have strong future prospects despite a significant decline in the handling of fossil energy sources – particularly through container traffic, but also through the transport of alternative energy carriers such as hydrogen, the circular economy, and heavy and oversized cargo. These growth areas in inland shipping offer considerable potential for both ports. This is the conclusion drawn by the Chief Executive Officers of the Chambers of Commerce, Jürgen Vogel (Palatinate IHK) and Dr. Axel Nitschke (Rhine-Neckar IHK), based on the “Potential Study on Inland Ports Ludwigshafen and Mannheim,” prepared by Planco Consulting (Essen) on behalf of the two Chambers. The study was presented on 24 April 2026 at the “Hafenforum 26” in Mannheim’s Rosengarten conference center.

“Inland ports are a key component of the climate-neutral transformation of industry and freight transport. Without them, this transformation will hardly succeed,” said Planco consultant Dr. Till Kösters regarding growth potential. However, the study authors Kösters and Gunnar Platz caution that this positive development is not automatic. “Framework conditions must improve particularly in terms of transport connectivity,” said Platz, citing insufficient fairway depths on the Middle Rhine, congested roads and bridges, and bottlenecks in the rail network as key constraints. The strength of both ports lies in their trimodality, the integration of waterway, rail, and road transport.

The IHK study outlines three development scenarios. Based on the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport’s 2040 traffic forecast, freight volumes in Ludwigshafen are projected to grow by 21% by 2040 compared to 2019 levels, while Mannheim is expected to see a 16% increase. “However, these figures do not take into account the current economic developments in the chemical industry,” notes Jürgen Vogel, CEO of the Palatinate IHK.

“Political shortcomings of recent years have caught up with us. Rising energy prices and labor costs are affecting the sector, as are excessive bureaucracy and regulation,” Vogel continued. In a “stagnation scenario,” the study therefore revises the outlook to a slight decline in waterborne cargo volumes if conditions do not improve by 2040. “We have it in our hands to avert this scenario. Structural reforms are needed to stimulate the economy and strengthen competitiveness. If we succeed, we will return to a growth trajectory from 2030 onwards.” This development is illustrated in a third scenario. “From today’s perspective, this forecast appears the most likely,” said Gunnar Platz, emphasizing that it depends on the improvement of the framework conditions.

Conflicts over the use of port areas close to city centers are also a cause for concern. “Safeguarding port-related areas and strengthening trimodal connections are not optional measures, but essential prerequisites for site competitiveness,” stressed Kösters. In parallel, public acceptance of ports as indispensable economic and supply infrastructure must be reinforced.

Dr. Axel Nitschke, CEO of the Rhine-Neckar IHK, explicitly underlined this aspect: “The repeatedly discussed conversion of port areas would irreversibly weaken the core economic function of the ports.” Moreover, port areas will remain essential for their key role as transshipment hubs for alternative energy sources and must therefore not be repurposed. “Ports are indispensable for achieving climate neutrality they are crucial pillars of climate protection,” said Nitschke.

The CEO also highlighted the growth potential in container handling identified in the study: “The additional value generated through container transport is likely to significantly exceed the decline resulting from reduced shipments of fossil energy sources such as hard coal.” Whether this will materialize, however, depends heavily on overall economic development, particularly in the industrial sector.

From the perspective of the regional economy, a higher share of container traffic would fundamentally change the role of the two inland ports. Currently, raw materials and intermediate goods are primarily transported via the ports to industrial facilities. “In the future, finished products and processed intermediate goods will predominantly be exported to Europe and worldwide, while imports from global markets will also increase,” said Nitschke. “This will integrate the regional economy into the international division of labor in an entirely new way.”

“All goods transported via inland waterways help relieve the already overburdened rail and road networks,” the CEO added, noting that the share of truck traffic in the region is comparatively below average.

Key figures on the Ports of Mannheim and Ludwigshafen

• 11.3 million tons of waterborne cargo (MA: 5.8; LU: 5.5)
• 1.4 million tons of waterborne container throughput
• 330 containers handled per day
• 1,280 hectares of port area (MA: 1,130; LU: 150)
• 395 km of railway tracks within the port area (MA: 150; LU + BASF: 245)
• 33,500 employees dependent on port operations

Sources: Port of Mannheim, Port of Ludwigshafen, Planco Consulting

Read more about the IHK Potential Study on the Inland Ports of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim