The dredging operation and the voyage aboard the hopper dredger KAISHUU take 16 hours. It transports nearly 9,000 tons of excess silt from the Köhlbrand to buoy E3 in the North Sea. The "Wir-Machen-Hafen" film crew accompanied the vessel on its journey.

In 2022, we maintained the harbor and its access channels for the first time using the new dredged depths following the channel adjustment. In our new annual report, we explain the challenges we faced, the conditions we encountered, how much dredging we performed, the cost involved, and our plans for the future—in short: how we maintain the harbor’s depth.

Founded in Hamburg in 2010, the Lebensraum Elbe Foundation has been successfully working to promote a vibrant river ecosystem for 13 years. Funded by the city and the HPA, it has already implemented over 30 projects along the tidal Elbe and its tributaries—projects that make the river ecosystem a little wilder, and thus more vibrant. So, 13 wild years. We say congratulations!

Germany’s largest container ship, the Berlin Express, owned by the Hamburg-based shipping company Hapag-Lloyd, is arriving in Hamburg for its christening. Measuring 400 meters in length and 61 meters in width, it can transport 23,664 standard containers in a particularly environmentally friendly manner. The most important prerequisite for the safe arrival of such container giants is sufficient water depth. Here on the Tideelbe information blog, we show you everything that goes into ensuring there is always a hand’s breadth of water under the keel.

In our latest video, our colleagues show how we check in Hamburg whether ships have enough water under their keels or if dredging is needed, and how we ensure that only clean sediments are dredged and transported to disposal sites in the Tidal Elbe or the North Sea.

Since early August, we have once again been transporting excess sediment to buoy E3 in the North Sea, enabling us to maintain key port areas. Schleswig-Holstein has issued a new permit for this purpose, authorizing up to two million tons annually, after extensive studies once again confirmed that no significant environmental impacts are expected as a result. Since 2005, this option has helped Hamburg and the Tideelbe reduce dredging cycles and ensure adequate depths even during the summer months.