Transport in Hamburg haulage companies registered, with 19,985 vehicles (lorries, semitrailer tractors, truck trailers, semitrailers), and a cargo capacity of , and 15,623 employees. The port of Hamburg is situated in a distance of 110 kilometres from the mouth of the Elbe river, off the North Sea. In 2007, the port was the second-largest in Europe and ninth-largest worldwide. 9.8 million containers were handled in Hamburg in 2007, a ten percent increase on 2006. In 2008, inland water transport had a quantity of freight of (1000 t), and maritime shipping a quantity of (1000 t). Both increased compared to 2007. The importance and
Port of Tianjin a cost-effective option for construction. Tianjin Port is by necessity largely man-made through dredging and reclamation. The lower course and estuary of the Haihe is the main stem of a large navigable basin, as well as the westernmost seashore of the North China Plain, and there have been major ports on the area at least since the late Eastern Han Dynasty. The river port at the junction of the Grand Canal served as both an inland port and seaport supplying the northeast border of Chinese states. Since 1153, it was the critical supply hub for what is now Beijing. However,