If citizens do not trust scientific findings, there is no basis for an objective debate. The HPA has also encountered this issue in the Tideelbe region. We spoke to Dr André Schaffrin of ifok GmbH. Together with the NGO ‘Progressives Zentrum’, he has been investigating, on behalf of the HPA, how mistrust arises and how trust can be built.

After around 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 flood storage area helps to regulate tidal currents and reduces sediment load in the tidal Elbe and the Port of Hamburg.

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

Sediments from the River Elbe in Hamburg have become increasingly clean since the 1990s. However, a small proportion of the dredged material is still so contaminated that it cannot be left in the River Elbe. We therefore treat these sediments on land and dispose of them safely at our landfill sites.

The Port of Hamburg is Germany’s most important seaport and is vital for meeting the basic needs of the population and supporting the German export industry. Through our underwater sediment management programme, we ensure that the port remains accessible and competitive, and continues to develop.

Hamburg is one of the top three ports in Europe. One of the key requirements for an overseas port of this scale is that it must be accessible at all times. To ensure safe access, our dredgers must regularly clear the shipping channel of sediment.

What happens if the sediment that needs to be dredged from the harbour is too heavily contaminated? It is taken to the METHA – a huge facility that processes, separates and dewaters the material from the Elbe riverbed. The treated sediment is then reused or safely disposed of at our dredged material disposal sites.

The influence of the tides on the Elbe is enormous – and is increasing over the years. To mitigate the effects of the tides, which lead to silting up of the harbour and the shipping channel, we are creating a new floodplain in the east of Hamburg: Kreetsand.