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“The port industry in Rostock was responsible for creating around 3,600 new jobs in the period 2005 – 2008. This is a very significant number”, comments Ulrich Bauermeister, Managing Director of Hafen-Entwicklungsgesellschaft Rostock. “Around 12,500 jobs are dependent on the Rostock port industry – 8,800 of those directly in Rostock and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.” These figures are based on a study carried out between June and November 2009 by the Baltic Sea Institute for Marketing, Transportation and Tourism of the University of Rostock, commissioned by Hafen-Entwicklungsgesellschaft Rostock. The study involved a survey of over 300 companies, including port and cargo related companies, public authorities, and other companies associated with the Rostock port industry.

The direct employment effect created by the Rostock port industry involves around 6,600 jobs, the majority of which are with shipping companies, port operators, industrial and cargo-handling companies, ship’s agents, public authorities, and maritime service providers. An additional 5,900 jobs are indirectly related to the port industry. The indirect employment effect results from jobs dependent on the port industry such as transport and construction companies, as well as the service and retail industry for employees of the port industry and ferry and cruise passengers at the Rostock port.

“In comparison to the previous study by the Baltic Sea Institute from 2005, it is notable that the direct and indirect employment effect of the Rostock port industry has increased”, remarks Prof. Martin Benkenstein of the University of Rostock. “The number of people directly employed in the Rostock port industry increased between 2005 and 2008 by 950 to around 6,600 (+16%). The increase in the indirect employment effect was even higher in this period, with the Rostock port industry indirectly responsible for 5,900 jobs in 2008.”

According to the latest study of the University of Rostock, over 4,800 people work in around 150 companies directly on the 750-hectare area comprising the Rostock Seaport. Of this total, around 4,000 people are employed at companies directly involved in port and industrial activities, and 800 at companies without direct involvement.

The taxation effect alone arising from commercial, property, and income tax from the port industry and the companies located on the port grounds amounted to around 41.5 million Euros in 2008.

“These figures show that the investment by the city and state in the infrastructure of the Rostock port has paid off. The attraction of companies such as Liebherr, EEW Special Pipe Constructions, and Power Oil in the past years has led to a significant increase in jobs and value added for the Region”, comments Ulrich Bauermeister. Employees of the Rostock port industry earned around 241 million Euros in gross salary and wages in the year 2008.