In a position paper published on June 23, 2025, the Central Association of German Seaport Operators (ZDS) puts the necessary investment requirement in German seaports at around 15 billion euros.
Resolving maintenance backlog
According to the association, this corresponds to three percent of the special infrastructure fund of 500 billion euros planned by the federal government. The mentioned sum is based on a survey among ZDS members.
“With a comparatively small share
from the special fund, we can finally resolve the maintenance backlog that has accumulated over decades in our seaports – and thus permanently secure a central pillar for supply security, industrial competitiveness, and military operational capability,” said Angela Titzrath, President of the ZDS.
Furthermore, the ZDS is calling for an annual basic funding of 500 million euros from the federal government - to ensure the functionality of seaport infrastructures in the future.
The federal participation in port infrastructures currently amounts to 38.4 million euros per year. However, according to the assessment of experts and the ZDS, this in no way corresponds to the actual requirements.
System-relevant infrastructure
The role of the seaports in the context of the turning point in security policy must also be considered, as military mobility and logistics depend heavily on efficient port structures.
For this reason, the ZDS is calling
for the establishment of a flexible financial framework in the defense budget (individual plan 14) - in order to be able to invest specifically in military-relevant port infrastructure, according to the association.
“Without reliable ports, there is no credible turning point. We now need a strong signal from the federal government that it takes the ports seriously as system-relevant infrastructure – and acts accordingly," emphasizes Florian Keisinger, Chief Executive Officer of the
