News

New video: Hydrological flow measurements in the Port of Hamburg

To ensure safe shipping traffic in the Port of Hamburg, the Hamburg Port Authority carries out what are known as hydrological current measurements. A new episode of “Port is what we do” explains exactly what this involves, who is involved, and why it is so important for the port.

Click here for the video

Screenshot from a YouTube video. A hand points to a map with colourful water depths of the Lower Elbe.

Anniversary film: 20 years of the Hamburg Port Authority

For two decades, the Hamburg Port Authority has been responsible for managing the Port of Hamburg – a vast industrial area right in the heart of the city, operating round the clock. But who actually does all this work? We do! Our anniversary film is a thank you to all our staff who, day in, day out, work tirelessly to keep our port running.

Click here for the anniversary film

A screenshot from a YXouTube video showing the Elbphilharmonie in front of a rust-red sunset.

We make beach

What would Hamburg be without its Elbe beach?! But during heavy storms, a bit of the beach is lost every now and then. That’s when the HPA steps in and washes up fresh sand. Just like they’re doing now at the Alten Schweden. 

During high tide, the Ijsseldelta hopper dredger deposits a total of 6,000 cubic metres of sand onto the beach over a period of three days. The dredger has recently sucked the sand up from the bottom of the shipping channel, where it was obstructing ships. When the water level is lower, the sand is then spread across the beach using crawler tractors and dredgers. This therefore benefits shipping, coastal protection and the people of Hamburg enjoying a stroll along the beach. Naturally, the sand is of playground quality; it only looks so dark because of the water when it is washed ashore in a spectacular fountain using the so-called ‘rainbow’ method.

A dredger sprays sand and water in a high arc onto the Elbe beach, with a container ship and harbour terminals in the background

Thorough and transparent: annual report for the 2023 relocation now online

For 25 years, we have been providing detailed and transparent reports on water depth maintenance in the Port of Hamburg. These reports cover all dredged volumes, broken down by origin and destination, along with numerous analyses of sediment quality, hydrological conditions and the dredgers we have deployed. This is a comprehensive assessment that takes time to compile. The report for 2023 is now available.

Click here for the report

The hopper dredger Ijsseldelta travels on the Elbe

Hydrological information 2024 is now available

In the hydrological year 2024, there was finally more water flowing from the Elbe catchment area again. We set out the exact figures and the other hydrological parameters in the 2024 hydrological information report.

Click here for the information

The tide gauge tower at the St. Pauli jetties

HPA does nature conservation: Action day in the Wedel Marsh

Nature conservation has a long tradition at the HPA. Every year, the Hamburg Port Authority supports NABU locally. How did this partnership come about, and what projects are being carried out together? You can find out in this new episode of “Port is what we do”.

Click here for the video

People with rakes during nature conservation work in the Wedel Marsh

Elbefonds Foundation: Help for the desilting of marinas

Marinas and recreational harbours are an important part of the maritime landscape. Their navigability is synonymous with their usability. To reduce silting, the Elbefonds Foundation was established in 2007 by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg. The foundation supports dredging measures in marinas along the tidal reaches of the Elbe and its tributaries.

All information about the Elbefonds can be found here

Sailing ships and pleasure craft lie on the mud at low water in a tributary of the Elbe

"Wat mut, dat mut" IAPH World Port Conference in Hamburg

185 ports from around the world and 160 companies from the international port industry. The key topics at the International World Ports Conference: How can ports handle goods more quickly and safely? And: How can they become more environmentally friendly? Topics at the World Ports Conference in Hamburg.

Click here for the video

Hamburg Senator for Economic Affairs Dr Melanie Leonhardt speaks on the podium at the World Ports Conference in Hamburg

New video: The Port of Hamburg's washing machine - how the METHA works

What happens if the sediment dredged from the Port of Hamburg is contaminated? It is taken to METHA. The “Port of Hamburg’s washing machine” cleans, separates and dewatered the sediment. We show how it all works in the new “Port is what we do” video.

Click here for the new video

An HPA employee wearing a helmet in a factory for treating harbour sludge

Tonne E3: Late start to the dredging season

Last Sunday, 8 September, the 16,500 m³ hopper dredger Kaishuu began the relocation of mud from the Port of Hamburg to the North Sea, to buoy E3. Later than ever before. Why is that?

In recent years, sedimentation in the Port of Hamburg has been so severe that we have usually had to start maintaining water depths and relocating sediment to buoy E3 as early as possible, i.e. as early as late June or early July.

However, since the turn of the year 2023/2024, discharge conditions have been significantly better than in the previous, very dry 10 years. In addition, we have consistently utilised the opportunities for increased sediment removal to reduce small-scale sediment cycles – which lead to sediment accumulation in the harbour. Together, these two effects have led to lower overall resedimentation, which is also starting much later in the course of 2024. We can therefore see that the dredging is working, and with improved outflow, sedimentation in Hamburg is decreasing once again.

We show how a trip with the hopper dredger to the E3 bin works in a video

Hopper dredger Kaishuu on the Elbe in Hamburg

New video: A day in the harbour with Laura Navarro from the DLRG

The DLRG and the HPA repeatedly warn against swimming in the tidal section of the Elbe. Laura Navarro, who volunteers with the DLRG, explains exactly what makes the Elbe so dangerous.

Click here for the video DLRG information for schools

Laura Navarro from the DLRG stands on board a fast-moving ship wearing a lifejacket and looks out over the Elbe

Submerged: A day in the harbour with our diver Dennis Stiel

A new video shows a typical day at the harbour with our dive operations manager Dennis Stiel and his team.

Click here for the video

An HPA diver in the water