The dredging operation and the journey aboard the hopper dredger KAISHUU take 16 hours. It transports just under 9,000 tonnes of surplus mud from the Köhlbrand to buoy E3 in the North Sea. The ‘Port is what we do’ film crew accompanied it on the journey.

In 2022, we maintained the harbour and its access channels for the first time to the new dredged depths following the fairway upgrade. In our new annual report, we explain the challenges we faced, the conditions we encountered, how much dredging we carried out, the cost involved, and what the next steps are – in short: how we maintain the harbour’s depth.

Founded in Hamburg in 2010, the Lebensraum Elbe Foundation has been successfully working to promote a vibrant river environment for the past 13 years. Funded by the city and the HPA, it has already implemented over 30 projects along the tidal Elbe and its tributaries. These projects make the river environment a little wilder – and therefore 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 metres in length and 61 metres 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 involved in ensuring there is always a hand’s breadth of water beneath the keel.

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

Since the beginning of August, we have once again been transporting surplus sediment to buoy E3 in the North Sea, enabling us to maintain key areas of the port. Schleswig-Holstein has granted a new permit for this, allowing up to two million tonnes per year, after extensive expert reports once again confirmed that no significant environmental impact is expected as a result. Since 2005, this option has helped Hamburg and the Tideelbe to reduce dredging cycles and ensure that depths meet requirements even during the summer months.