“Following World War ii, the port of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, was developed into the world’s largest seaport. Presently, much of this port’s business comes from Germany … but things are about to change” (Philadelphia Trumpet, July 2003).

Nine years later, that statement has been proven true!

On September 21, the JadeWeserPort (jwp) in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, finally opened. jwp is now the only deepwater port in Germany capable of processing massive container ships regardless of tide levels. Hamburg, Germany’s busiest port and the third busiest in Europe, is still limited to a certain extent by the tides.

Last year, shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk contracted with Daewoo to construct the largest container ships ever built. At over 1,300 feet in length, Maersk’s new Triple-E series will be longer than some aircraft carriers. The ships won’t be completed until 2014, but once they are in use, there will only be select ports that have the capacity to handle them. These ships can only be used for trade between Europe and Asia—the U.S. doesn’t have a single port able to handle their size.

The completion of jwp means that, including Bremerhaven, Germany has two ports capable of handling the new ships. jwp will be the only European port capable of handling those ships regardless of tide levels, according to its claims.

Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, has dominated global ocean freight for years. Its 19-meter terminal depths have attracted shipping companies that use massive container vessels. Other European ports like Hamburg, Antwerp and Amsterdam don’t have the same capacity to handle the largest ships currently being used—the rest of Europe has been unable to compete.

But last Friday, that all changed. With the opening of Germany’s jwp, Germany now has the ability to compete with the largest and busiest shipping port in the world. JWP is not yet completely functional, but it will only take a matter of months to finish the area around the port and complete the adjacent railroad.

jwp won’t become an international shipping hub overnight, but it is one more step toward German dominance in world trade.

Germany and China are prophesied to have a brief alliance, brought about through trade (see “The Great Mart”). In an article on the opening of jwp, Deutsche Welle said last week, “By the end of 2014, up to 250 of the [massive container ships] could travel between Europe and the Asia on a regular basis.” Don’t underestimate the importance of this new port opening in Germany. With the ability to handle the container ships of the future, Germany has the ability to dominate Asian-European trade.