Port of the month: Port of Sydney – the world's most beautiful natural harbour

The history of Port Jackson, named after naval administrator and politician Sir George Jackson Duckett and 1st Baronet, dates back to the 18th century when James Cook discovered the area on his first South Sea voyage in 1770. At that time, the region was inhabited by a group of 4,000 to 8,000 Aborigines. Sydney, the fist British settlement in Australia, was founded after the so-called “First Fleet” consisting mostly of convicts arrived on 26 January 1788 (celebrated today as the Australia Day) under the leadership of naval officer Arthur Philipp.

The construction of the first port facility took place only a little later. Today, the port of Sydney is equipped with the most modern facilities for container shipping. Since the 1980s most of the container traffic has been landing at Port Botany, which is also an oil refinery and Australia's largest airport.

Hapag-Lloyd first came into contact with Australian waters around 125 years ago with the launch of the so called “Postdampferlinie” steam ship line. German steamers were thus able to link Europe, East Asia and Australia. Over time, Hapag-Lloyd has also established itself in Australia as one of the leading companies in the shipping industry. Today, in 2018, around seven services, including EAX, AAX and ANP, run via the port in Sydney.