German Ports Demand Funding to Prepare for War

German ports are demanding funding from the federal defense budget to prepare for war.

Spiegel reported this.

The Central Union of German Seaports (ZDS) has sent a letter to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius with a request to allocate money from the country’s regular defense budget.

The document does not specify the exact amount, but, according to representatives of the port industry, EUR 3 billion is needed to prepare for a possible “defense emergency.”

In a letter from a Hamburg-based industry association representing more than 150 companies, they noted that as logistics hubs, seaports are central to the deployment of troops.

“In an emergency situation, equipment and soldiers of the Bundeswehr and NATO partners would have to be transported through these ports,” the letter emphasized.

In addition, they noted that ports are open targets and, in the event of war, “the first line of attack.”

“We must be prepared for this, even if we hope it never happens,” the letter says.

According to ZDS, funds from the defense budget should be used to equip loading areas, quay walls, and railway infrastructure, as well as to protect port facilities from attacks and cyber threats.

The association justifies the demand by saying that defense has been and remains the exclusive task of the German federal government. They propose the so-called “dual-use” approach – investments should serve both civilian and military purposes.

Some German roads and railroads have recently been granted the status of military importance and will be financed from the budget of the Ministry of Defense in the future. This will amount to about €8 billion in the coming years.

Currently, the most important German seaports in terms of capacity are Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven, and Rostock.