Germany expands North Sea military ports and plans new naval base

With the transformation of the port of Bremerhaven into a high-capacity military hub and the prospective establishment of a fifth German naval base in Emden, the federal government is accelerating the militarisation of the German coastline.

According to German Foreign Policy, the logistics infrastructure in Bremerhaven will be modernised and expanded to unload massive volumes of weapons and ammunition as quickly as possible and transport them onward to potential battlefields in Eastern Europe.

This is set out in a memorandum of understanding signed this week between the Ministry of Defence and municipal authorities in Bremen.

The federal government is providing up to 1.35 billion euros for this purpose, while the federal state of Bremen is contributing more than 212 million euros.

Bremen has the highest poverty risk and the highest child poverty rate of any federal state in the country.

The allocation of hundreds of millions of euros to expand military logistics rather than tackle poverty is also supported by senators from the Left Party (Die Linke) who sit in the state government.

Modernisation intensifies in Bremerhaven

Bremerhaven, Germany’s second-largest port in maritime freight handling behind Hamburg and ahead of Wilhelmshaven, is regarded as ideal for handling military cargo.

The port possesses significant capacity for offloading not only containers but also vehicles, alongside heavy-lift areas capable of handling even heavy military hardware such as main battle tanks. Moreover, because it can be accessed without passing through locks, access is substantially easier and faster.

Finally, it has good links to roads and particularly to railways, which is vital for the rapid transport of weapons and ammunition in the event of a crisis or war.

The port’s particular suitability as a military transshipment hub also stems from its history: it has been used by US forces since the end of the Second World War.

During the Cold War, it served as the central transshipment port in the Federal Republic of Germany and was expanded accordingly.

After 1990, it lost its significance for the US; however, with the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, the US presence increased once more.

US activity escalated initially under exercises such as Defender Europe 2020 and subsequently from 2022 onwards in the context of the war in Ukraine.

As early as 2023, experts noted that Bremerhaven was operating as “an arms hub just like in the old days”.

Ports optimised for military logistics

The federal government is currently working to further increase the port’s military logistics capacity.

For instance, harbor basins will reportedly be dredged, and road and rail connections will be expanded.

Container facilities will be modernised and adapted to carry heavier loads.

This applies to both cranes and storage areas, with plans also in place to expand these storage areas into new zones.

A spokesperson for the port operating company Bremenports was quoted as saying: “The efficient transport of military hardware is no longer limited to tanks alone.”

Today, weapons and ammunition are also delivered in containers, which would need to be rapidly unloaded and forwarded in the event of war.

To ensure this, plans are also being made to build a new railway swing bridge at the Kaiserhafen. According to reports, the existing bridge is described as a “bottleneck” that slows down the movement of military equipment unnecessarily.

In addition, the heavy focus on military logistics demands costly security measures.

For example, not only will new fencing and privacy screens be erected, but drone defence systems will also be installed and cybersecurity measures implemented.

Left Party senators back armaments

The federal government is allocating approximately 1.35 billion euros through 2031 to optimise military logistics in Bremerhaven and, in conjunction with this, adapt Bremen Airport more effectively to the needs of the Bundeswehr.

According to the Mayor of Bremen, Andreas Bovenschulte, this represents the largest grant the German government has ever provided for a project in the federal state of Bremen.

The state of Bremen is contributing an additional 212 million euros to the “Bremerhaven 2031 Deployment Hub” project.

While large sums are being funnelled from Bremen’s state budget into war preparations in this manner, approximately 25.9% of the state’s population was classified as at risk of poverty in 2024, with 28.6% of all children living in poverty.

This makes Bremen the federal state with the highest poverty risk and the highest rate of child poverty.

Approval for funding military logistics in Bremerhaven with hundreds of millions of euros from the state budget also came from two Bremen senators belonging to the Left Party.

The Left Party’s Senator for Economic Affairs and Ports, Kristina Vogt, praised the “pragmatism” of “improving our infrastructure, which is already used for civilian purposes, for military ends” rather than constructing new facilities.

North Sea joins Baltic Sea militarisation

With the expansion of the Bremerhaven military hub, the militarisation of Germany’s coasts is progressing.

Until now, the focal point of Germany’s naval infrastructure has been the Baltic Sea coast. This was partly because during the Cold War, the naval activities of the Federal Republic of Germany were directed against the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact states.

Alongside several training facilities, the German Navy primarily operates three major naval bases here, situated in Eckernfoerde, Kiel, and Rostock-Warnemuende, as well as the Naval Command based in Rostock.

In the North Sea, these are complemented by the naval base in Wilhelmshaven and the Naval Air Command at Nordholz near Cuxhaven.

The Naval Air Command is the third major unit of the German Navy, alongside Flotilla 1 based in Kiel and Flotilla 2 based in Wilhelmshaven.

At present, approximately 16,000 soldiers and 1,800 civilian staff from the Bundeswehr are stationed at the Navy’s main bases and various smaller installations.

As in other branches of the armed forces, the German Navy aims to expand its personnel numbers.

Germany’s fifth naval base to be built

In addition to the four existing naval bases and the Bremerhaven military hub, the federal government plans shortly to announce the construction of a fifth naval base, also located on the North Sea.

According to reports, Emden has been selected as the site for the base. Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and Lower Saxony’s State Minister Olaf Lies are scheduled to outline the next steps regarding a potential new naval base there on Monday.

Emden previously hosted a naval base during the Cold War, but the facility was closed in 1997.

According to reports, one argument in Emden’s favour is that it holds the largest unused area among Lower Saxony’s North Sea ports.

Discussions have been ongoing for some time over how to utilise this disused land reasonably, although these debates previously centred on civilian use.

According to the German Navy’s plans, the new naval base will accommodate seven frigates, ten minesweepers, and ten tugs, alongside a four-digit number of Bundeswehr soldiers and civilian personnel.