Germany opens port for biggest container ships

BERLIN - Germany has opened its first commercial deep-water port in a bid to increase the export-reliant nation's shipping capabilities.

Economy Minister Philipp Roesler inaugurated the new port on the country's North Sea coast near the city of Wilhelmshaven on Friday.

The €1 billion ($1.3 billion) JadeWeserPort is one of Germany's biggest infrastructure projects and the only port capable of accommodating the biggest container ships.

Germany's busiest port in the city of Hamburg lies further inland and cannot be reached by the biggest ships.

Operators want the new port to create an alternative to Europe's busiest port, Rotterdam in the Netherlands.

Roesler said he hoped Wilhelmshaven would become "a hub of international maritime transport."

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Source: CNBC.