Logistics Market Study Switzerland 01/26 by GS1 is online
Mar 2, 2026 at 6:12 PM
Swiss Post exceeds punctuality targets 2025
Mar 3, 2026 at 8:27 AM
With a total throughput of 4.7 million tons in the Swiss Rhine ports (SRH), a decline of 11.3% was recorded in 2025 compared to the previous year. The main reason for this decline is a significant drop of 22% in the import of mineral oil and energy products. In contrast, other goods categories show stable or even positive developments. The waterborne container throughput increased by 12.6%, while the rail container throughput is particularly noteworthy with an increase of 51.5%. This development is partly due to the shift of coffee transport from trucks to rail and shipping. The export of goods remained stable with a slight increase of 2%.
Decline in Mineral Oil and Energy Products
The decline in the import of mineral oil and energy products is the main driver for the overall throughput in 2025. These products were approximately 570,000 tons, 22% below the previous year’s level, accounting for over 90% of the decline. Imports through the tank storage in the port of Birsfelden are closely linked to the refinery in Cressier, which operated at a high production level in 2025. The water levels, crucial for the utilization of cargo ships, were stable on average, aside from a low-water period in spring.
Container throughput developed positively. In 2025, 112,620 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units) were handled waterborne, representing an increase of 12.6% compared to the previous year. It should be noted that in the port of Kleinhüningen, due to a relocation and renewal project by the Rhenus Group, one terminal area was less available for handling capacities. The replacement of the South Quay terminal, currently under construction, will be ready for inland shipping at the North Quay in harbor basin 2 by the end of 2026. On the rail, container throughput increased by 51.5% to 50,197 TEU.
Development of Agricultural Products and Recycling Materials
Agricultural products showed robust development in 2025. On the import side, quantities rose to 185,069 tons, corresponding to an increase of 9.7%. The increase is attributed to a weak domestic harvest in 2024, which led to above-average grain imports for the food and feed industry. The federal government had raised import quotas to secure supply. Despite a good domestic harvest in 2025, significant imports, particularly of feed, were also made in the second half of the year, leading to high utilization of silo capacities in the ports. On the export side, exports rose to 37,082 tons, representing an increase of 17.7%.
Exports of recycling materials, particularly scrap and demolition materials, were slightly above the previous year at 416,449 tons (+1%). The fluctuations in imports are closely related to the material procurement and production of national steelworks and their downstream logistics effects.
A stable or positive development is also evident in the shipborne handling of the groups „stones and earth“ (+5.7%), „chemical products“ (+0.7%), „metal products“ (-2.4%), and „equipment and materials for goods transport“ (+13.4%).
In the area of food and beverages, exports increased by 22%, while imports decreased by 17%, resulting in an overall decline of 9.4%. Goods categories with low throughput volumes, such as „mineral products“ and „wood, cork, and wicker goods/paper and cardboard,“ also recorded declines of nearly 50%.
