The third quarter of this year has broken all records when it comes to the most loaded containers transported to or from major Danish ports.
Containerized goods equivalent to 137,000 TEU containers arrived at a Danish port in the third quarter, while in the other direction, containerized goods equivalent to 122,000 TEU were shipped out of Danish ports.
The majority of containers to and from Denmark go via APM Terminals' container terminal in Aarhus, where there has also been a significant increase during 2025.
The increase in volumes is due, among other things, to the fact that more shipping routes now call at Aarhus. Maersk has expanded its involvement in Aarhus and made the terminal a new intermediate station for cargo to and from Poland, thereby relieving pressure on ports in Northern Germany. MSC now calls at the terminal with a route from Asia, and CMA CGM has had a Nordic route with a stop in Aarhus since July.
"It is quite clear that 2025 has been characterized by unpredictability in world markets and major shifts in shipping lines' routes. Therefore, flexibility has been a key word for us as a terminal operator. We are constantly working to adapt our operations to the needs of shipping lines, new services and to increase efficiency. Therefore, we are also pleased to note that even though we are setting records for the amount of containers coming in, we are experiencing a much better flow in and out of the terminal compared to the recent record year in 2022 during Corona, where increasing internet trade helped to put bottlenecks in the supply chains," explains Mikael Gutman, MD of APM Terminals, Nordics, which operates the terminal in Aarhus.
"Denmark is one of the world's largest shipping nations and also a structural hub for container freight in the Nordic region. It is a great strength that we can handle the increasing number of containers in Danish ports. The shipping companies, the ports and the transport chain in general provide an indispensable supply chain for the benefit of the Danish economy and emergency preparedness," says Jacob K. Clasen, Deputy CEO of Danish Shipping Companies.
