Welcome to the HPA's Tidal Elbe information blog

When citizens do not trust scientific findings, the foundation for an objective debate is lacking. The HPA has also experienced this firsthand in the Tideelbe region. We spoke with Dr. André Schaffrin of ifok GmbH. Together with the NGO “Progressives Zentrum,” he investigated, on behalf of the HPA, how mistrust arises and how trust can be built.

Whether it’s Bremen, Antwerp, Rotterdam, or Hamburg—all ports have one thing in common: to ensure that ships can enter and leave unimpeded, excess sediment must be dredged and removed on an ongoing basis. But how do other ports handle this? What’s the same, and what’s different?

Every summer, oxygen levels in many parts of Hamburg’s tidal Elbe drop below a level that is critical for fish. This can result in fish kills. Why does this happen? How have fish populations changed? What impact do our dredging operations have? And what can we do about it? We have the answers.

One of Germany’s most important infrastructure projects has been completed: the dredging of the Lower and Outer Elbe, also known as the Elbe Deepening. It secures the future of Germany’s largest seaport. Yet the debate continues. Is the dredging project a success, or has it failed economically and environmentally, as is sometimes claimed? A fact check.

After about ten years of construction, the HPA has completed the Kreetsand shallow-water area, which is one and a half times the size of the Binnenalster. The additional floodplain positively influences tidal currents and alleviates sediment accumulation in the Tidal Elbe and the Port of Hamburg.

To ensure that ships have access to the necessary water depths, millions of tons of silt are dredged from the Port of Hamburg every year. But where does this material end up? Our map shows the current disposal sites in the Elbe and the North Sea.

The KAISHUU dredger doesn’t usually dock. This large hopper dredger is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, working to permanently remove excess sediment from the Port of Hamburg. We spent a day with it, accompanied by our film crew.

To ensure that ships can navigate safely in the harbor, it is crucial to know how deep the water is. To this end, the water depth is regularly measured. However, if there is silt on the bottom, there is sometimes a layer of silt and water at the interface between the seabed and the water, somewhat like thick cocoa. Can ships navigate safely through this? The HPA is investigating this together with its partners from Rotterdam and Antwerp in the “Nautical Depth” project.

The Elbe hasn't always had the best reputation when it comes to water quality—in the past, many pollutants were discharged into the river. In Hamburg, the river's final stop before the North Sea, contaminated sediments accumulated. But times have changed.

The HPA Hydro Portal is a new digital tool for viewing, exploring, and exporting nautical depth data. It makes it easy and safe to plan and manage vessel movements.

Transporting goods by large ocean-going vessels is particularly climate-friendly. However, to ensure that these large container ships can get as close as possible to their markets, waterways and harbor basins must be continuously cleared of excess sediment. With proper sediment management, significant reductions in climate-impacting emissions can be achieved.

Especially in hard-to-reach or shallow harbor areas, we need to know exactly how much water remains beneath the ships' keels. The echo.1 survey drone is now helping us with this.