Port of Hamburg Marketing (HMM) has added its new Dubai representative office to its global network, extending its presence in a key growth region for international trade. The office, active since January 2026, anchors its outreach in the Gulf, a hub linking Europe, Asia, and Africa and an increasingly important market for container traffic and emerging energy supply chains.

HMM noted that the Gulf region not only serves as a central hub between Europe, Asia and Africa, but is also gaining strategic importance in the context of future energy sources and evolving supply chain structures. 

The region's economic momentum is reflected in the Port of Hamburg where container traffic between Hamburg and the UAE/Red Sea/Gulf increased by 28.8% to approximately 130,000 TEU in the first nine months of 2025 compared with the same period in the previous year.

With the United Arab Emirates alone — the region's strongest partner country in direct container traffic — the Port of Hamburg recorded a market share of almost 80% among German seaports in the 2024 calendar year. 

New and expanded liner services indicate continued positive throughput development.

At the same time, the Gulf region is becoming increasingly relevant as a future market for renewable energy.

HMM noted significant investments in solar and wind energy, as well as in the development of green hydrogen value chains, are positioning the region as an important partner.

It said that the Port of Hamburg is expected to play a role both as a handling location for project cargo and, in the longer term, as a destination port for green energy carriers.

The "Hamburg Representative Office UAE and Gulf Region" — the official name of the office, which is supported by several institutions — serves as a central point of contact for companies based in Hamburg and for member companies of HHM.

Its partners include the Senate Chancellery of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, the Ministry of Economy, Labour and Innovation, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce, Hamburg Tourism, Hamburg Messe und Congress, and Port of Hamburg Marketing. 

The representative office is headed by Kirsten Staab, who has been active in the region for more than 25 years and has led the Hamburg Representative Office since 2008.

"It can be assumed that blue and green hydrogen, as well as their derivatives from the Gulf region, will play an increasingly important role in Germany's supply of alternative energy sources in the future. This makes it all the more important for the Port of Hamburg to maintain a presence in the region as a hydrogen import hub and to be perceived as a strong partner," Staab said.

A core task for the Dubai office is to maintain regular dialogue with local industry players and build longer‑term working relationships between the Port of Hamburg and organisations in the Gulf. These ties are aimed at supporting more resilient supply chains and reinforcing Hamburg’s role as an internationally connected port.