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Warning strikes stop work at German North Sea ports

Warning strikes stop work at German North Sea ports. The disruption ran from 2022-06-09 (9 June 2022) to 2022-07-16 (16 July 2022), 38 days, affecting Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Emden, Brake. Bremerhaven averaged 2.7 calls per day during the event window against an expected 6.2 (-56.8%). Hamburg averaged 5.7 calls per day during the event window against an expected 8.2 (-30.6%).

World Freight Monitor permanent record. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/port-warning-strikes-germany-2022/. Record last updated 2026-09-16.

Key facts

Started
2022-06-09 (9 June 2022)
Ended
2022-07-16 (16 July 2022)
Status
ended
Severity
4 Severe
Scope
regional
Chokepoints
None
Lanes
None
Countries
Germany
Confidence
medium: The settlement and the union's position come from ver.di's own statement, but the strike dates and the ports covered rest on trade press reporting, since the employers' association and port statements from 2022 are no longer online.
First reported
2022-06-13 (13 June 2022)
  • Severity basis: Simultaneous stoppage of the principal ports of one country, with Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, Bremen, Emden and Brake stopped together for 48 hours from 2022-07-14.

What happened

Between 2022-06-09 (9 June 2022) and 2022-07-16 (16 July 2022) the union ver.di called three warning strikes at German North Sea ports during a pay round covering about 12,000 port workers. The first stoppage, on 2022-06-09, lasted one shift at Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven and Emden, and a second followed later in June. After a sixth round of talks with the Zentralverband der deutschen Seehafenbetriebe ended without agreement, ver.di called a 48 hour stoppage from 06:00 on 2022-07-14 to 06:00 on 2022-07-16 at Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Emden and Brake, the longest such action at these ports in decades. A settlement before the Hamburg labour court paused further action, and the two sides agreed terms on 2022-08-23.

Measured effect

Container ship port calls, Hamburg

Baseline (expected)
8.2 calls per day
Observed
5.7 calls per day
Change
-2.5 (-30.6%)
Standardised score
-0.8
Event window
2022-07-14 to 2022-07-16 (3 days)
Baseline window
2022-05-12 to 2022-07-06 (56 valid days)
Method
wfm-effect-1.0
Computed
2026-09-19 (19 September 2026), data revision 1:00d289d4a096
Container ship port calls, HamburgContainer ship port calls, Hamburg, 2022-05-05 (5 May 2022) to 2022-08-27 (27 August 2022): values ranged from 3 calls per day on 2022-06-23 to 16 calls per day on 2022-05-24, with a mean of 9.1 calls per day. The latest value, for 2022-08-27, was 6 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-07-14 to 2022-07-16.051015202022-05-052022-07-012022-08-27
Container ship port calls, Hamburg, 2022-05-05 (5 May 2022) to 2022-08-27 (27 August 2022): values ranged from 3 calls per day on 2022-06-23 to 16 calls per day on 2022-05-24, with a mean of 9.1 calls per day. The latest value, for 2022-08-27, was 6 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-07-14 to 2022-07-16.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-11-10 (10 November 2026).

Container ship port calls, Hamburg (calls per day).
Datecalls per day
2022-05-0512
2022-05-0610
2022-05-078
2022-05-0811
2022-05-0912
2022-05-1010
2022-05-1111
2022-05-1212
2022-05-139
2022-05-1413
2022-05-155
2022-05-1615
2022-05-1713
2022-05-1813
2022-05-1911
2022-05-208
2022-05-217
2022-05-226
2022-05-2314
2022-05-2416
2022-05-2510
2022-05-269
2022-05-276
2022-05-287
2022-05-2910
2022-05-3011
2022-05-3114
2022-06-0112
2022-06-0214
2022-06-037
2022-06-045
2022-06-054
2022-06-065
2022-06-0710
2022-06-0812
2022-06-097
2022-06-108
2022-06-1114
2022-06-127
2022-06-138
2022-06-1411
2022-06-1515
2022-06-168
2022-06-1710
2022-06-186
2022-06-199
2022-06-2012
2022-06-219
2022-06-2212
2022-06-233
2022-06-244
2022-06-2511
2022-06-263
2022-06-2711
2022-06-2812
2022-06-2913
2022-06-3010
2022-07-0110
2022-07-025
2022-07-036
2022-07-048
2022-07-059
2022-07-065
2022-07-0713
2022-07-0813
2022-07-097
2022-07-108
2022-07-114
2022-07-128
2022-07-139
2022-07-148
2022-07-153
2022-07-166
2022-07-174
2022-07-1814
2022-07-198
2022-07-206
2022-07-2112
2022-07-2210
2022-07-236
2022-07-244
2022-07-2511
2022-07-2611
2022-07-2711
2022-07-286
2022-07-298
2022-07-306
2022-07-318
2022-08-0112
2022-08-0210
2022-08-039
2022-08-049
2022-08-0510
2022-08-066
2022-08-0710
2022-08-087
2022-08-0911
2022-08-1010
2022-08-1110
2022-08-1213
2022-08-134
2022-08-147
2022-08-159
2022-08-169
2022-08-1714
2022-08-189
2022-08-198
2022-08-205
2022-08-2110
2022-08-2210
2022-08-2310
2022-08-2411
2022-08-2511
2022-08-267
2022-08-276

Window set by the editor: The 48 hour stoppage is the only port wide interruption in this record with day precision at both ends.

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Container ship port calls, Bremerhaven

Baseline (expected)
6.2 calls per day
Observed
2.7 calls per day
Change
-3.5 (-56.8%)
Standardised score
-1.4
Event window
2022-07-14 to 2022-07-16 (3 days)
Baseline window
2022-05-12 to 2022-07-06 (56 valid days)
Method
wfm-effect-1.0
Computed
2026-09-19 (19 September 2026), data revision 1:3d83cefd7b2a
Container ship port calls, BremerhavenContainer ship port calls, Bremerhaven, 2022-05-05 (5 May 2022) to 2022-08-27 (27 August 2022): values ranged from 1 calls per day on 2022-06-06 to 15 calls per day on 2022-06-10, with a mean of 6.7 calls per day. The latest value, for 2022-08-27, was 6 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-07-14 to 2022-07-16.0510152022-05-052022-07-012022-08-27
Container ship port calls, Bremerhaven, 2022-05-05 (5 May 2022) to 2022-08-27 (27 August 2022): values ranged from 1 calls per day on 2022-06-06 to 15 calls per day on 2022-06-10, with a mean of 6.7 calls per day. The latest value, for 2022-08-27, was 6 calls per day. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-07-14 to 2022-07-16.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-11-10 (10 November 2026).

Container ship port calls, Bremerhaven (calls per day).
Datecalls per day
2022-05-059
2022-05-065
2022-05-077
2022-05-085
2022-05-097
2022-05-109
2022-05-118
2022-05-127
2022-05-135
2022-05-145
2022-05-1510
2022-05-165
2022-05-176
2022-05-187
2022-05-196
2022-05-209
2022-05-215
2022-05-227
2022-05-236
2022-05-2410
2022-05-259
2022-05-265
2022-05-273
2022-05-289
2022-05-295
2022-05-309
2022-05-316
2022-06-018
2022-06-029
2022-06-036
2022-06-042
2022-06-052
2022-06-061
2022-06-077
2022-06-085
2022-06-096
2022-06-1015
2022-06-117
2022-06-125
2022-06-139
2022-06-147
2022-06-153
2022-06-166
2022-06-175
2022-06-189
2022-06-196
2022-06-2010
2022-06-216
2022-06-226
2022-06-237
2022-06-242
2022-06-258
2022-06-267
2022-06-274
2022-06-2812
2022-06-296
2022-06-306
2022-07-017
2022-07-027
2022-07-037
2022-07-044
2022-07-058
2022-07-069
2022-07-076
2022-07-086
2022-07-098
2022-07-108
2022-07-118
2022-07-126
2022-07-138
2022-07-142
2022-07-152
2022-07-164
2022-07-177
2022-07-186
2022-07-194
2022-07-2010
2022-07-215
2022-07-227
2022-07-239
2022-07-246
2022-07-258
2022-07-266
2022-07-276
2022-07-287
2022-07-294
2022-07-309
2022-07-317
2022-08-017
2022-08-029
2022-08-039
2022-08-045
2022-08-057
2022-08-064
2022-08-075
2022-08-087
2022-08-0910
2022-08-109
2022-08-1110
2022-08-122
2022-08-138
2022-08-145
2022-08-156
2022-08-168
2022-08-176
2022-08-188
2022-08-198
2022-08-2010
2022-08-216
2022-08-227
2022-08-236
2022-08-248
2022-08-2511
2022-08-263
2022-08-276

Window set by the editor: The 48 hour stoppage is the only port wide interruption in this record with day precision at both ends.

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Replay

Replay: Container ship port calls, HamburgContainer ship port calls, Hamburg, 2022-05-15 (15 May 2022) to 2022-08-13 (13 August 2022): values ranged from 3 calls per day on 2022-06-23 to 16 calls per day on 2022-05-24. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-07-14 to 2022-07-16.051015202022-05-152022-08-13
Container ship port calls, Hamburg, 2022-05-15 (15 May 2022) to 2022-08-13 (13 August 2022): values ranged from 3 calls per day on 2022-06-23 to 16 calls per day on 2022-05-24. The shaded band marks the event window, 2022-07-14 to 2022-07-16.

Source: IMF PortWatch (portwatch.imf.org), International Monetary Fund, using UN Global Platform AIS data. Statistics derived by World Freight Monitor. Terms. Retrieved 2026-11-10 (10 November 2026).

Container ship port calls, Hamburg (calls per day), daily values shown in the replay.
Datecalls per day
2022-05-155
2022-05-1615
2022-05-1713
2022-05-1813
2022-05-1911
2022-05-208
2022-05-217
2022-05-226
2022-05-2314
2022-05-2416
2022-05-2510
2022-05-269
2022-05-276
2022-05-287
2022-05-2910
2022-05-3011
2022-05-3114
2022-06-0112
2022-06-0214
2022-06-037
2022-06-045
2022-06-054
2022-06-065
2022-06-0710
2022-06-0812
2022-06-097
2022-06-108
2022-06-1114
2022-06-127
2022-06-138
2022-06-1411
2022-06-1515
2022-06-168
2022-06-1710
2022-06-186
2022-06-199
2022-06-2012
2022-06-219
2022-06-2212
2022-06-233
2022-06-244
2022-06-2511
2022-06-263
2022-06-2711
2022-06-2812
2022-06-2913
2022-06-3010
2022-07-0110
2022-07-025
2022-07-036
2022-07-048
2022-07-059
2022-07-065
2022-07-0713
2022-07-0813
2022-07-097
2022-07-108
2022-07-114
2022-07-128
2022-07-139
2022-07-148
2022-07-153
2022-07-166
2022-07-174
2022-07-1814
2022-07-198
2022-07-206
2022-07-2112
2022-07-2210
2022-07-236
2022-07-244
2022-07-2511
2022-07-2611
2022-07-2711
2022-07-286
2022-07-298
2022-07-306
2022-07-318
2022-08-0112
2022-08-0210
2022-08-039
2022-08-049
2022-08-0510
2022-08-066
2022-08-0710
2022-08-087
2022-08-0911
2022-08-1010
2022-08-1110
2022-08-1213
2022-08-134

This is a measured change in public data during the event window, compared with a baseline before it. It shows timing, not cause. We describe an event as causing a change only when an official source says so.

Timeline

  1. ver.di holds a first warning strike of one shift at Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven and Emden after pay talks break down. The union represents about 12,000 port workers. [s2]
  2. A sixth round of talks with the employers' association ends without agreement and ver.di calls a 48 hour stoppage, following two shorter warning strikes in June. [s3]
  3. Work stops for 48 hours from 06:00 at Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Bremen, Wilhelmshaven, Emden and Brake, in what trade press described as the longest such action at these ports in more than 40 years. [s3]
  4. The stoppage ends at 06:00. Further action is paused while talks resume under an arrangement reached at the Hamburg labour court. [s4]
  5. ver.di and the employers' association agree terms for about 12,000 workers, with increases from 1 July 2022 of 9.4 per cent in full container operations and 7.9 per cent in conventional and general cargo operations, and an inflation clause. [s1] [s4]

Cause

ver.di called the stoppages in the 2022 pay round for German seaports, saying it sought compensation for inflation for about 12,000 workers after successive rounds of talks with the Zentralverband der deutschen Seehafenbetriebe failed to produce an acceptable offer. Attributed by: ver.di. [s1] [s2] [s3]

Resolution

2022-08-23 (23 August 2022): The strikes ended on 2022-07-16 and further action was paused while negotiations continued. On 2022-08-23 ver.di and the employers' association agreed a settlement with staged increases and an inflation clause, which the union's collective bargaining commission approved on 2022-09-05. [s1] [s4]

Corrections

No corrections to this record as of 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026).

Sources

  1. [s1] ver.di, Seehäfen: ver.di erzielt Tarifergebnis - kräftige Lohnsteigerung und Inflationsausgleich vereinbart, published 2022-08-23 (23 August 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (official)
  2. [s2] gCaptain, German Ports Brace for More Strikes as Pay Talks Fail, published 2022-06-13 (13 June 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
  3. [s3] The Maritime Executive, Germany's North Sea Ports Face Longest Strike Action in Decades, published 2022-07-13 (13 July 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)
  4. [s4] The Maritime Executive, German Ports and Workers Agree to Terms to End Three Months of Strikes, published 2022-08-25 (25 August 2022), accessed 2026-09-15. Archived copy. (press)

Cite this record

The address of this record is permanent and a correction is always logged on this page, so a citation names the version you read. Add the date you accessed it.

Plain text

World Freight Monitor. "Warning strikes stop work at German North Sea ports." Last updated 2026-09-16 (16 September 2026). https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/port-warning-strikes-germany-2022/

APA

World Freight Monitor. (2026). Warning strikes stop work at German North Sea ports. World Freight Monitor. https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/port-warning-strikes-germany-2022/

BibTeX

@misc{wfm_port_warning_strikes_germany_2022,
  author = {{World Freight Monitor}},
  title = {Warning strikes stop work at German North Sea ports},
  year = {2026},
  note = {Last updated 2026-09-16},
  url = {https://worldfreightmonitor.com/events/2022/port-warning-strikes-germany-2022/}
}