Hamburg’s Senator for Economic Affairs Dr Melanie Leonhard welcomed Estonia’s Minister of Infrastructure Kuldar Leis to Hamburg City Hall for a high-level visit that culminated in the signing of a Letter of Intent between the Hamburg Port Authority, Port of Hamburg Marketing and the Port of Tallinn.
The agreement focuses on digitalisation, sustainability, resilient supply chains and the development of secure and efficient port and transport infrastructure across the Baltic Sea region.
The visit builds on Senator Leonhard’s trip to Estonia in 2024 and reflects the strengthening partnership between Hamburg and Estonia at both political and commercial levels.
Leonhard described ports as having evolved beyond their traditional transhipment function into centres for data, energy and international cooperation, framing the agreement as a partnership that drives innovation while enhancing infrastructure resilience in a period of global uncertainty.
Minister Leis highlighted the centuries-old maritime connection between Estonia and Germany and described the visit as giving renewed practical momentum to bilateral cooperation.
He noted Estonia’s digital solutions for freight transport as a complementary contribution to the partnership, alongside the commercial importance of Hamburg and Lübeck as gateways connecting Estonia to Germany and wider European markets.
The Letter of Intent will develop cooperation across digitalisation of port and logistics processes, decarbonisation, cybersecurity, military mobility and the development of efficient Baltic transport corridors.
Valdo Kalm, CEO of the Port of Tallinn, highlighted existing significant cargo flows between the two countries handled through the Muuga and Paldiski South terminals in both RoRo and container traffic, and identified additional opportunities in trade, the cruise sector and port development alongside knowledge exchange in digitalisation and cybersecurity.
Friedrich Stuhrmann, Chief Commercial Officer of the Hamburg Port Authority, and Hendrik Meyn, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, both emphasised the growing strategic significance of the Estonia partnership in the context of critical infrastructure resilience, sustainable energy and transport systems and the evolving geopolitical environment across the Baltic Sea region.
