[9] The Real Estate subgroup covers the company's properties that are not specific to port handling, with its shares listed as "Class S".

[19] In June 2018, HHLA acquired the largest Estonian terminal operator Transiidikeskuse AS (headquartered in Muuga).

Metrans operates container trains from its own terminals in the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland and neighbouring countries;[23] CTD covers the area surrounding the Hamburg Metropolitan Region by road.

[24] In 2012, HHLA sold its 50% share in TFG Transfracht to Deutsche Bahn,[25] and in 2018, Polzug Intermodal merged with Metrans.

[26] In 2019, the intermodal companies transported a total of 1.6 million standard containers by rail and road.

[29] Together with Salzgitter AG, HHLA also operates the Hansaport, Germany's largest terminal for bulk cargo.

These include the Speicherstadt historical warehouse district, the area surrounding the Fischmarkt Hamburg-Altona as well as other logistics facilities and office buildings in and around the Port of Hamburg.

[33] It co-founded the joint venture Hyperport Cargo Solutions to develop a component to bring Hyperloop technology to ports.

[40] In the Treaty of Versailles, the allied powers forced Germany to give up the majority of its merchant navy.

[43] The effects of the Great Depression (from 1929), protectionism in many industrial countries, the seizure of control by the National Socialists (1933) and their autarky policy saw cross border trade drop to levels lower than before the crisis.

[45] Allied bombers attacked the Port of Hamburg multiple times, destroying large parts of it.

HHLA began to invest in a number of companies that organised container transport on the railway network, and the volume of cargo that they handled rose.

[55] HHLA was retroactively split into the subgroups Port Logistics and Real Estate with effect from 1 January 2007.

[59] In early 2023, Chinese shipping firm Cosco bought one of the three terminals, which caused protests by the German government coalition (Scholz cabinet)and from abroad.