screenshot of a water map in the hydro portal with numbers showing the water depth and a ship symbol
Under water

The Hydro Portal: digitally networked, securely planned

The HPA Hydro Portal is a new digital tool for viewing, exploring and exporting nautical depth data. It makes it easy to plan and navigate vessel movements safely.

The cruise ship Queen Mary 2 visiting the harbour birthday in Hamburg, in the foreground several smaller ships and people on the shore
The Queen Mary 2 visiting the harbour birthday in Hamburg. Even complicated ship calls can be precisely organised and managed with the help of the Hydro Portal.

The Queen Mary is a welcome guest in Hamburg. When a pilot steps onto the bridge of such a large, incoming ship, he needs to know whether the required minimum depth is available at all times in order to navigate the ship safely into the harbour. The necessary data is provided by sounding vessels - they regularly probe the bottom of the Elbe and detect obstacles and changes. In the past, this data was recorded and documented in sounding plans for the Nautical Centre. Since June 2022, we have been making all survey data available digitally in our modern Hydro Portal.  

a sounding vessels seen from the front on the elbe, in the background harbour scenery with cranes and facilities in the haze
The basis of the water depth visualisation in the Hydro Portal is the sounding of the water bottom. Five sounding vessels are deployed daily in the Port of Hamburg for this purpose.

Passage planning is an important aspect when ships enter and leave the Port of Hamburg - it forms the basis for carrying out precise manoeuvres with regard to the clearance heights of bridges and depths of the water. Survey data is essential for planning; only with its help can an ocean liner such as the Queen Mary park at Grasbrook without any problems. For example, areas that are too shallow for a ship to manoeuvre are shown in red. Areas that can be manoeuvred without any problems are shown in blue - they mark the safe water depths.

Who can use the Hydro Portal?

five young people in business attire bend over a table which is a monitor showing a nautical chart
Up-to-date draught data in the HPA's Hydro Portal enables planning and analysis for users in the port.

Our new hydro portal contains all the latest hydrographic data from the Port of Hamburg. In the case of the Queen Mary, it even enables the live view of ship movements and the analysis of their history. It can also access the HPA's bridge height information. The Hydro Portal is therefore an extremely helpful tool that can be used to realise passage planning for all ship passages. In addition to the Nautical Centre, users naturally include the Elbe and harbour pilots and the terminal operators of the Port of Hamburg, as well as shipping companies, engineering firms and waterway facility management. The tool can be used without additional software on any web browser - both desktop and mobile. It has been specially optimised for touch interfaces.

With the introduction of the Hydro Portal, both external and internal customers were given the opportunity to use up-to-date depth information as well as evaluation and analysis options in self-service. Thanks to special map tools, the Hydro Portal helps with planning, knowledge building and coordination of shipping traffic. By integrating any geoservices, it enables a holistic view of water areas.

The be-all and end-all for the Hamburg Nautical Centre

view of the nautical centre with a tower and a jetty pontoon on the elbe from the water
In the Nautical Centre, the Hydro Portal is now indispensable for planning and controlling ship movements.

In the Nautical Centre, the Hydro Portal is now indispensable for viewing, sounding, evaluating and exporting depth data - it can access around 30,000 measurements from the HPA database and export them as ASCII files or PDF bearing plans.

The digital networking of the port is important in international competition with other seaports - with the Hydro Portal, Hamburg is taking another decisive step in this transformation.

 

The flyer for the Hydro Portal is available here.

The user manual for the Hydro Portal can be found here.

If you are interested in accessing the Hydro Portal, please contact HydroPortalSupport@hpa.hamburg.de

FAQ about the Hydro Portal and the Nautical Centre in Hamburg

The most important questions and answers at a glance.

 

The Hydro Portal is a digital tool from the HPA that provides all current survey data for the Port of Hamburg. It enables the viewing, sounding and exporting of nautical depth data and thus supports the safe and precise planning of ship manoeuvres.

The survey data is available digitally and updated daily in the Hydro Portal.

 

 

For the nautical centre, the Hydro Portal is a central tool for planning ship movements and ensuring safe navigation. It has access to over 30,000 measurements in the HPA database.</p

 

 

Up to five sounding vessels record the bottom of the Elbe every day, recognising obstacles and documenting changes. Many other water data such as water levels are also recorded. This data flows directly into the Hydro Portal and helps the nautical control centre to assess whether passage depths and manoeuvring areas are safe - for example when large ships enter.</p

 

 

In addition to the current depth data, the Hydro Portal also provides a live view of ship movements, analyses of past movements and access to bridge heights. This allows passage planning to be realised conveniently and efficiently.</p

 

 


The Hydro Portal supports many stakeholders who are responsible for safe harbour operations: Users include pilots, harbour terminal operators, shipping companies, engineering firms and waterway facility management, among others.</p

 

 

The portal can be opened in any web browser without additional software - both on desktop and mobile devices. It is also specially optimised for touch surfaces. Interested parties can contact the HPA to obtain access.

 

 

Areas that are too shallow are marked in red on the digital maps in the portal, while safe water depths are marked in blue. This visualisation makes it easier for users to immediately identify potential risks and plan ship manoeuvres accordingly.</p

 

 

Digital networking improves planning, coordination and safety in shipping traffic and strengthens the port's efficiency and competitiveness in international comparison.</p

 

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