The union was founded on 1 January 1891, in the aftermath of a major strike in Hamburg.
The conference elected Johann Schwarz, former leader of the Hamburg dockers, as its first president, but he was dismissed before the end of the year, having stolen money from the union.
[1] It published the newspaper Hafenarbeiters, and affiliated to the General Commission of German Trade Unions.
The union was a founding constituent of what became the International Transport Workers' Federation.
[3] In 1896, dockers in Hamburg held a major strike, in which Johann Döring emerged as the leading figure.