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No harbours without dredging - this also applies to the universal port of Hamburg

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.

HPA video on sediment treatment in the Port of Hamburg and the Elbe

Germany's most important seaport provides 600,000 jobs

A graphic representation of the tax payments in Hamburg and Germany dependent on the Port of Hamburg in the form of a bar chart with three colours.
Tax payments in Hamburg and Germany dependent on the Port of Hamburg (from ISL 2021)

The Port of Hamburg is Germany's most important seaport and generates billions of euros annually, including more than 5 billion euros in tax revenue alone. Its good connections and location in the hinterland make it possible to transport goods in an environmentally friendly and cost-effective way. It also provides jobs for around 600,000 people throughout Germany. To keep it that way, the overseas port of Hamburg must be reliably accessible all year round, even for the very large container ships - from the North Sea to the berths in the harbour basin.

Further insights into the economic importance of the Port of Hamburg can be found in a study.
 

The Elbe as the engine of the energy transition

However, the importance of the Elbe today extends beyond the traditional handling of goods. The river is also developing into a player in the energy transition. With the construction of new terminals, such as the LNG and ammonia import terminal in Brunsbüttel and the planned Ammonia terminal in Hamburg, the Elbe is becoming increasingly relevant for Germany's supply of green hydrogen and its derivatives such as ammonia. The new terminal in Brunsbüttel can import up to three million tonnes of ammonia per year, which corresponds to around 530,000 tonnes of hydrogen. This hydrogen is essential for the decarbonisation of the energy-intensive industry, especially for the chemical and steel sectors. The strategic location and infrastructure of the Port of Hamburg make the Elbe not only an economic engine, but also a lifeline for a climate-neutral future.

How dredging secures the utilisation of the Elbe

For safe navigation, however, there always needs to be enough water under the keel. Regular maintenance of the fairway is also essential for the Elbe to fulfil its role as a driver of the energy transition. The Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) is responsible for this in the tidal Elbe from the estuary to Wedel.  In the Hamburg section of the Elbe, on the other hand, we are responsible for providing the necessary water depth. This is why we regularly clear the navigation channel of fresh sand or silt deposits with our dredgers. Several million tonnes of dredged material are produced each year. With the help of sounding vessels and our sounding drone, we determine where dredging is required. Most of the dredged material is mud - a mixture of clay and sand. These sediments are a natural and ecologically valuable component of the Elbe, which is why we do not remove them, but only relocate them. They are returned to the water elsewhere. We have several options for this - so-called relocation sites - in the Elbe and North Sea.

The floating grab dredger Lorenzo Bernini loads Elbe sediments into the transport ship Boussole
Today, we can return over 95 per cent of the dredged material to the Elbe or the North Sea.
A large container ship loaded with many colourful containers in the Hamburg port area, in the foreground a pushed convoy for dredged material.
The Port of Hamburg can only be successful if the necessary water depths are safely available for shipping all year round. In order to achieve this, sediment deposits have to be removed from the Elbe floor time and again.

Dredged material as a climate-friendly resource

 

Counteracting siltation in the coastal waters of the North Sea is common practice in Europe. Over 130 million tonnes of dredged material are moved every year. Not only in Germany, but also in France, Belgium, the UK and the Netherlands, harbours have to be cleared of excess sediment through regular dredging. In the Netherlands, the dredged material is used to fill in mudflats and coastal areas, among other things, in order to counteract rising sea levels.

 

A bar chart shows the headwater discharge and the annual dredging volumes in Hamburg in millions of tonnes of dry matter.
The annual dredging volumes required in Hamburg are subject to strong fluctuations. The headwater discharge has the strongest influence. The less it rains in the Elbe catchment area, the more sediment is deposited in Hamburg.

From the port of Hamburg back to the North Sea

The climate also plays a role for the Elbe: the drier the weather in the upper Elbe catchment area, the more dredging is required, as less sediment then flows back into the North Sea. In recent years, dry periods have increased - so we need to dredge more. But so far there is a lack of suitable options for relocating the dredged material. Our aim is to find enough places from which the sediments are not washed back into the harbour and affect the container ships. We are therefore examining what sensible solutions there are for the whereabouts of the dredged material. Here is an overview of the existing and potentially possible sites.

Questions and answers about the universal and container port of Hamburg

 

 

To ensure that container ships can call at Hamburg safely at all times, the fairway upgrades and harbour basins must be regularly cleared of sediment such as sand and mud. Without this continuous dredging work, the accessibility and safety of the harbour for international shipping would not be guaranteed.

 

 

The Port of Hamburg is Germany's most important seaport and provides around 600,000 jobs. It generates billions in turnover and over 5 billion euros in tax revenue every year. The efficient connection also enables environmentally friendly and cost-efficient transport of goods by ship.

 

 

The Elbe connects the port of Hamburg with the North Sea and is therefore an essential sea waterway for supplying Germany. Goods can be transported on the Elbe far into the hinterland in a cost-effective and environmentally friendly way.

 

 

In the Hamburg section of the Elbe, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) ensures the required water depth. With the help of modern dredgers and precise sounding technology, the fairways are maintained in such a way that large container ships can call at the port safely all year round.

 

 

Over 95 per cent of the material produced during dredging - mainly mud and sand - is returned to the Elbe or the North Sea as a valuable resource. In other federal states, dredged material is also used, for example, to secure coasts or counteract rising sea levels.

 

 

When there is little rainfall in the Elbe catchment area, more sediment is deposited in the harbour area, meaning that dredging is required more frequently. Longer dry periods mean that less sediment is transported back into the North Sea by natural means.

 

 

The search for new relocation sites is a central issue in order to prevent sediment from being washed back into the harbour and affecting shipping traffic. Sustainable and technically sensible solutions are continuously being examined. The dredging work itself is always carried out using suitable modern equipment and state-of-the-art technology.

 

 

Only with sufficient water depth can the largest container ships reliably call at Hamburg on a liner service. Safe access is therefore a basic prerequisite for the economic success of the port and its international competitiveness.

 

 

Around 7,000 seagoing vessels call at the Port of Hamburg every year, including numerous container ships. All liner services can be viewed online in the Port of Hamburg Linerservice and underline Hamburg's role as a global transhipment centre.

 

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