This firm is the operator of the river harbour of Duisburg-Ruhrort and its satellite facilities. It is owned by the city of Duisburg, and the State of Prussia in equal parts. The enterprise was founded in 1924 to take control of the inland port facilities that service the most important mining and industrial region in Germany, transshipping ore, coal, oil, iron, steel, and cereals in monumental quantities.
The origins of the port complex lie in Prussian development of Ruhrort, when the city began construction of its first dock. The Prussian Government took over the administration of the port in 1766, and gradually oversaw its reconstruction, an effort that gathered pace as the Nineteenth Century wore on. The construction of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn and its branch to Homberg accelerated development of inland navigation. A river port was constructed in Homberg in 1850, and in 1852 Homberg and Ruhrort were linked by rail with further connections across the Rhine.
Between 1860 and 1867 the Nordhafen and Südhafen were constructed, followed by the Kaiserhafen, completed in 1890, construction of which required the canalisation of the lower Ruhr River. In 1900 the combined port areas of Ruhrort had a total water area of more than fifty-three hectares.
At this time Duisburg had no direct connection with the Rhine, but in 1828 the merchants of the city established the Rheinkanal-Aktienverein to construct a canal linking the city with the river. This was constructed between 1828 and 1832, and two docks, the Außenhafen and the Innenhafen were constructed. In 1844 the Ruhrkanal was completed, opening navigation between the Ruhr and the Rheinkanal. Further expansion between 1882 and 1883 widened and extended the existing port facilities in 1899 a new Parallelhafen was completed. In 1901 the port areas of Duisburg comprised more than fifty-one hectares of water area.
Differences in administration between the two ports were partially resolved in 1905 by the formation of a joint management administration and the extension of the Vinckekanal and the Rhein-Herne-Kanal linked the ports with the canal system of western Germany. In the years prior to the Great War the port sustained the massive growth of the industrial complex of the Ruhr Valley.
The unification of the ports under a single administration in 1924 opened up an era of improvement and expansion. In 1926 the port handled more than thirty-four million tonnes of cargo, making it the largest inland port in Germany and among the largest in Europe. Investments were made in coordinated construction of railways, canals and roads to facilitate the movement of cargo through the docks. New terminals – including those for the storage and movement of petroleum – were constructed and areas laid out for construction of new factories.
The efforts of the enterprise continue to make the port of Duisburg-Ruhrort the busiest inland port in Western Europe.