The Port of Hamburg has completed and made available to ships an expansion of the waterway along the Elbe River.
As the Port of Hamburg informs, the expansion represented an achievement of the project target of enabling containerships with a draft of up to 13.50 metres to reach the Port of Hamburg irrespective of the tide. Depending on the tide, even greater drafts would be possible.
In comparison to the situation before the fairway adjustment, inbound and outbound shipping now gains from a draft increase of between 1.00 and 1.90 metres.
Additionally, Megamax vessels with a width of up to 62.50 metres and a length of 400 metres can now move about the port with a draft of up to 13.10 metres. Before the adjustment, the figure was no more than 11.40 metres. A favourable tide makes 15.40 metres feasible, compared to the previous 13.60 metres.
Statistics already show good market acceptance for the first release of the fairway adjustment. Last year 2,377 containerships called the Port of Hamburg between May and December. Of these, 666 had a design draft of over 13.80 metres
explained Jens Meier, CEO of Hamburg Port Authority (HPA).
What is more, the Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center can now further optimize its Elbe passage planning, leading to better safety, defusing potential conflicts on the Elbe and in the port area.
It will also benefit the environment as Just-in-time arrival during the approach enables many vessels to reduce speed and bunker less fuel, causing lower pollutant emissions.
The fairway adjustment also ensures improved planning capacity at terminals. This means that vessels longer than 360 metres can be given longer ex-berth ‘sailing windows’.
In combination with the investments already made by Hamburger Hafen and Logistik AG (HHLA) for mega gantry cranes and automated storage technology, the adjustment now implemented will enable us to swiftly and reliably clear containerships of ever-growing size
stated Angela Titzrath, CEO of HHLA.
Finally, Professor Dr.-Ing. Hans-Heinrich Witte, President of the Federal Waterways and Shipping administration, believes that “shipping now has distinctly greater draft at its disposal. Apart from the navigational advantages, the greater depths provide both economic and ecological added value. Greater depth means improved utilization of vessels and leads to lower emissions per ton transported.”