: Sounding vessel "DEEPENSCHRIEWER III" in side view on the water in Hamburg.
Under water

Our sounding vessels get to the bottom of the Elbe

We ensure the safety and smooth flow of shipping traffic on the Elbe and in the Port of Hamburg by continuously surveying the riverbed. This enables us to identify obstacles quickly and remove them in a targeted manner, thereby ensuring that the required minimum water depth for ships is maintained.

Surveying the water bottom with the help of sounding vessels

The riverbed is constantly changing due to the tides and currents of the Elbe. In order to determine whether the required depth still exists in the navigation channel or the harbour basins, the bottom of the water is continuously surveyed by our special vessels, the so-called sounding vessels. In this way, mining depths are recognised very precisely, i.e. the places in the Elbe that are not deep enough for shipping traffic. These can be caused by the constant sedimentation throughout the harbour area. Ground obstacles, such as large stones or scrap metal, can also be precisely localised in this way.

The data collected during the survey is processed digitally and made available to all customers via the HPA's own web application - the Hydro Portal. The Nautical Centre, the pilots, port companies, construction companies and all other customers can then access the Hydro Portal for their work.

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Two-dimensional graphic of a sounding vessel with HPA flag. Both the part above and below the water are visible. Fan lines extending from the ship's hull show the survey of the water bottom using echo sounder technology.
The water bed of the Elbe is sounded and measured with the help of an echo sounder. The data is then transmitted ashore for analysis.

If, when surveying the fairway, a sounding vessel detects that shallow water has formed due to mud or sand, for example, or that scrap or stones are protruding into the fairway at certain points, these are removed by targeted dredging work using the appropriate specialised equipment. The data collected by the sounding vessels is used to precisely localise the obstacles in the water and to plan the dredging work. Sounding is the first step in water depth maintenance, through which we ensure that shipping traffic on Hamburg's territory runs safely and smoothly.

In total, our four sounding vessels survey around 250 square kilometres of water surface every year. For comparison: the total water area of the Hamburg port area is around 30 square kilometres. Recently, a sounding drone has also been used for this purpose, especially when surveying very shallow areas of water.

"DEEPENSCHRIEWER III" in side view on the water in front of a green landscape.
The continuous sounding provides data on possible obstacles or sediment deposits and thus helps with the planning of dredging operations.
Sounding vessel "DEEPENSCHRIEWER III" on the water in Hamburg harbour.
In the Port of Hamburg, the water bed changes due to the influence of the tide. The sounding vessels regularly check whether the ships can reach their destination without restrictions.

Surveys using sound signals in the Elbe

Various echo sounder systems are available on board the sounding vessels for surveying the Elbe and the harbour basins. The echo sounder enables the so-called hydroacoustic measurement of water depth, i.e. the measurement of the depth of the Elbe using sound signals that propagate evenly in the water.

How exactly does this work?
The echo sounder system on board the sounding vessel sends out a sound signal, which is then reflected on the bottom of the Elbe and then sent back to the echo sounder system. The longer the sound signal takes to return to the echo sounder system, the deeper the water is at this point. High-precision satellite navigation, better known as GPS, is used to take centimetre-accurate measurements. This determines the exact position of the sounding vessels when surveying the water.

Find out more in our new Port is what we do video!

FAQ on the subject of sounding vessels

The most important questions and answers at a glance.

 

The riverbed of the Elbe is constantly changing due to tides and currents. Regular surveying ensures that shallow depths or obstacles are recognised at an early stage so that dredging can be planned and the required water depth for shipping traffic can be maintained.</p

 

 

Sounding vessels use echo sounder systems to measure the bottom of the water. This involves emitting sound signals that are reflected and analysed at the bottom, similar to a medical ultrasound examination. This allows the depth of the Elbe and the location of obstacles to be determined precisely.</p

 

 

The measurement data is processed digitally and made available via the Hydro Portal. They are used for the safe navigation of ships and the precise localisation of shallow depths and obstacles for the planning of targeted dredging work.</p

 

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