Product Shelf At the PEKING exhibition aboard the four-masted barque

In einem Museumsraum mit Holzboden sind Schautafeln mit Texten und Fotos über das Schiff "Peking" ausgestellt; eine Tafel enthält eine Vitrine mit kleinen nautischen Artefakten.

The product shelf displays historical goods traded between Chile and Germany when the PEKING was a working cargo ship (caliche, saltpeter, fertilizer, explosives, dyes, machinery, coal, wood, luxury goods), as well as a selection of products traded between the countries today (copper, lithium, hydrogen, cars, chemical products, electronics)

Imports from Chile

Chile is an important trading partner for Germany, especially for raw material imports. Historically, the driving force behind the import trade was Germany’s enormous demand for saltpeter, which was processed into fertilizers, explosives, and dyes.

Today, Chile is a global leader in copper and lithium production, both of which are essential for the energy transformation. Chile is also developing into a major supplier of green hydrogen.

In 2023, the trade volume between the EU and Chile amounted to around €18.4 billion, comprising €10.7 billion in EU exports and €7.7 billion in imports from Chile.

Exports from Germany

At the beginning of the 20th century, Germany exported agricultural, mining, and textile machinery to Chile, as well as vehicles and luxury goods such as fashion items and grand pianos. This reflected the global division of labor: Chile supplied raw materials, which Germany processed and exported as finished products.

This structure is largely unchanged today, as Germany continues to export mining and industrial machinery, vehicles, chemical products, and environmental technology to Chile. Key German players include Siemens (e.g., power grid technology), BASF (e.g., plant protectants, chemical products), and Liebherr (large-scale mining equipment).

Poster for Chilean saltpetre as fertiliser, 1920s

Depending on the crop and soil conditions, the nitrogen fertiliser Chilean saltpetre could increase yields by between 25% and over 300%. Germany’s dependence on imports came to an end with the development of synthetic fertilisers, in particular the Haber-Bosch process (patented in 1910). BASF remains one of the world’s leading producers of artificial fertilisers to this day.

Reprint from the former Humberstone Saltpetre Oficina

Saltpetre mining in the Atacama Desert, Taltal region, 1920s

The photos show saltpetre mining at Oficina Alemania. It was one of the largest saltpetre mines in Chile and was owned by the Hamburg-based company Fölsch & Martin. The profits from the saltpetre business were invested in real estate, particularly in Hamburg, including the ‘Fölsch Block’ on Rathausmarkt.

Fölsch album, Oficina Alemania, private collection

Ein Klarglasgefäß mit Deckel, gefüllt mit beigen und hellbraunen Steinen, steht in der Auslage; eine rote Zickzacklinie ist im unscharfen Hintergrund teilweise sichtbar.

Avocado

Chile exports the ‘superfruit’ avocado to Germany. It has numerous valuable nutrients and is a sought-after foodstuff. However, its production and transport are associated with high water consumption, plantation farming, necessary cooling and pollution from transport itself, which is harmful to the environment.

SHMH I German Port Museum

Eine einzelne, reife Avocado mit dunkler, strukturierter Schale, die auf einer glatten, hellen Oberfläche vor einem unscharfen Hintergrund ruht.

Copper

Copper is crucial for the energy transition (power grids, renewable energies) and digitalisation, and is processed in Hamburg by the production company Aurubis, among others. Chile is the world’s largest copper producer, but mining in the Atacama Desert has a negative impact on the environment: enormous water consumption, air pollution from dust and exhaust gases, soil destruction, heavy metal contamination (arsenic).

SHMH I German Port Museum

Ein glattes, zylindrisches Kupferobjekt mit vertikalen Rillen wird auf einer hellen Fläche vor einem neutralen Hintergrund dargestellt.

Dynamite production by Alfred Nobel

Chilean saltpetre was used for the production of explosives/black powder. Krümmel near Geesthacht became the ‘powder chamber of Germany’ when Alfred Nobel opened his first factory for the manufacture of explosives, especially dynamite, in 1865.

Reproduction, SHMH I German Port Museum

Eine Nahaufnahme einer braunen Schachtel mit der Aufschrift Nobels Extradynamit, neben der mehrere Dynamitstangen liegen. In der Nähe der Stäbe sind schwarze Drähte zu sehen. Die Verpackung enthält einen schwedischen Text und ein kleines Porträtlogo.

Steel helmet M40

A steel helmet is a type of military headgear that was introduced by all the major European powers during the First World War. The helmets produced in Germany were exported to Chile, where they are still worn today at military parades.

Reproduction, SHMH I German Port Museum

Ein deutscher Militärhelm mit matter Oberfläche, ausgestellt auf einer glatten Fläche, mit einem kleinen Loch und einer runden Niete an der Seite.

Tempo 1200 off-road vehicle in Chile, 1937

The export of vehicles from Germany to Chile has played an important role in the past and continues to do so today. The photos show the Tempo 1200 off-road vehicle demonstrating its capabilities in difficult terrain. Today, it is primarily Liebherr (cranes, excavators and dump trucks for ports and mining), Caterpillar (mining equipment) and MAN (trucks and buses) that sell to Chile.

Photo: Krüger, SHMH I Museum of Work

Poster for Steinway grand pianos in Portuguese, 1920

Steinway has been manufacturing grand pianos and upright pianos in Bahrenfeld since 1880. Each grand piano is unique and takes approximately one year to manufacture. They are exported worldwide from Hamburg. A Steinway grand piano was transported to Valparaiso on the PEKING. Luxury goods such as watches, jewellery, designer clothing and musical instruments are an important segment of German exports to Chile.

Reproduction, SHMH I Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte

Port of Ludwigshafen with BASF, postcard, 1920s

BASF is the world’s largest chemical company with over 230 production sites and supplies more than 90 countries. Founded in Mannheim in 1865 as Badische Anilin- & Soda-Fabrik, the company moved to Ludwigshafen two years later, which is still its headquarters today. As Chile is heavily focused on agriculture and mining, BASF supplies this South American country with plant protection products and mining chemicals in particular.

SHMH I German Port Museum

HIF Global’s “Haru Oni” project, 2022

Environmental technology and green hydrogen are an important sector in relations between Chile and Germany today. Chile offers ideal production conditions with its wind and solar resources, while Germany acts as a technology partner and sales market for climate-neutral energy sources. The Haru Oni project is a pilot plant in southern Chile, near Punta Arenas. There, HIF Global produces e-fuels for Porsche.

Photo: HIF Global’s Haru Oni e-Fuels facility in Chile

Model: SHMH I German Port Museum

Ein kleines weißes Modell einer Windkraftanlage mit drei Flügeln ist in einem durchsichtigen Gehäuse ausgestellt, in dem sich helle Lichter im Hintergrund spiegeln.

Fast fashion – old clothes in the Atacama Desert in Chile

In Germany, fast fashion produces huge quantities of low-quality old clothes, which are often exported. Per capita, 5.5 kg of old clothes are produced in Germany every year. Many of these old clothes end up in the port of Iquique in Chile, where only 10% can be recycled; the rest is transported to the Atacama Desert. The mountains of old clothes pollute the soil and groundwater there, endangering the local flora, fauna and population.

Photo: Mauricio Bustamante, from the series “The clothed desert” (2022)

Old clothes, SHMH I German Port Museum

Ein Stapel verschiedener Kleidungsstücke, darunter ein grünes Hemd, ein lavendelfarbenes Hemd, ein graues Oberteil und blau-weiß gestreifte Kleidungsstücke, ist auf einer Fläche gestapelt.