A large ship, a hopper dredger with the name "Alexander von Humboldt" and a crane, is travelling on the Elbe. A waterfront landscape and Hamburg harbour can be seen in the background. The sky is partly cloudy and the sun is reflected on the surface of the water.
Under water

Where to put the mud from Hamburg?

To ensure that shipping has access to the necessary water depths, millions of tonnes of mud are dredged from the Port of Hamburg every year. But where does this material end up? Our map shows the current relocation sites in the Elbe and the North Sea.

map
 
Wetsand

 

Neßsand

The relocation site at the Hamburg state border, which has been in use since 1995, can only be used in the winter months for water protection reasons. From there, however, the sediment quickly returns to the harbour, where it has to be dredged again. The aim is to minimise this recirculation dredging in future by improving sediment discharge.

 


 
St. Margarethen

 

St. Margarethen

The HPA is authorised to use this relocation site of the Federal Waterways Administration (WSV), which is 60 km away. Up to 1 million cubic metres of dredged material from the federal waterway in Hamburg can be transferred here all year round. However, the flood washes most of the sediment back into the harbour after a while.

 


 
New Lüchtergrund

 

New Lüchtergrund

The HPA is authorised to share the use of this relocation site of the Federal Waterways Administration (WSV), which is 115 km away. Up to 1 million cubic metres of dredged material from the federal waterway in Hamburg can be relocated here every year during the winter months. The sediment does not return to the harbour from there.

 


 
Hamburg Outer Elbe

 

Hamburg Outer Elbe

The HPA has carried out extensive investigations together with experts and prepared expert reports that prove that the relocation site 120 kilometres away is fundamentally environmentally compatible. Individual issues are currently still being finalised. A decision will then be made as to whether this option will be utilised to provide additional relief to the disadvantageous dredging circuits.</p

 


 
Tonne E3

 

Bonne E3

Bin E3 is located 160 kilometres away in a natural silt area of the North Sea. Schleswig-Holstein has approved the relocation of up to 2 million tonnes of dredged material per year. From there, the sediment is not returned to the harbour. Extensive monitoring shows that all environmental requirements are being met.</p

 


 
AWZ

 

E EEZ

The HPA has applied to the responsible Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) for the relocation of up to 2.5 million tonnes of dredged material per year to a location 200 km away in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in June 2022. The approval process will take several years.

 


Sediments are a natural component of the Elbe and North Sea

Aerial view of a dredging vessel working on the Elbe. The ship is equipped with several booms and pipes. The sun is reflected on the swirling water surface, a red buoy floats nearby.
Dredging and transport is carried out using modern trailing suction hopper dredgers (so-called hopper dredgers). Different sizes are used depending on requirements.

To ensure that the necessary water depth in the Elbe can be utilised by all ship sizes, we take care of water depth maintenance throughout the year. Behind the somewhat unwieldy word lies a complex system that involves not only dredging many tonnes of sediment&nbspsuch as mud from the Elbe, but also intelligent handling of the material. It makes the most sense to leave the dredged material in the water, provided it only contains low and harmless levels of pollutants. This is ecologically sensible and sustainable, as we return the sediments, which are a natural component of the Elbe, to the river in this way. However, it also makes economic sense, as it is very energy-intensive and costly to bring the dredged material ashore for reprocessing in a specialised plant. 

 

So what to do with the excess mud from the Elbe?

The city of Hamburg has various so-called relocation sites available for depositing the excess mud like a string of pearls, these sites are located along the Elbe from Hamburg to the North Sea. It goes without saying that all relocation sites have been carefully checked by experts. This ensures that there are no unacceptable negative effects from the relocation.

<p

<p>The longest-used option for returning dredged sediment to the river is the relocation site near the Elbe island of Neßsand. Depending on the tide and discharge conditions, the current takes the dredged material towards the North Sea or back to Hamburg. However, as the outflows have been consistently very low in recent years, the mud from Neßsand was usually  quickly washed back into the port of Hamburg, where it had to be dredged again. This circular dredging is not very sustainable and must therefore be reduced at all costs.
 

Elbe estuary or North Sea: the dredged material does not come back from there

It is better to transport the dredged material to the Outer Elbe or the North Sea, as it cannot be returned to the harbour from there. The HPA has several relocation sites available there: The "Tonne E3" on Schleswig-Holstein territory has proved its worth. It has been in use since 2005 and is accompanied by close monitoring. The licence for the use of this relocation site was renewed for 10 years in 2023. We are also authorised to use the Neuer Lüchtergrund in the Outer Elbe - this relocation site is subject to federal sovereignty and is only intended for smaller quantities of mud from the Port of Hamburg. The same applies to the federal government's relocation site at St. Margarethen. This is also located so far upstream that some of the sediment from there returns to Hamburg. When the Elbe's outflow is low, the relocation sites are not sufficient to limit recirculation dredging at Neßsand to the necessary level.

<p
HPA video on sediment management in the Port of Hamburg

Wind farms and marine protection: dredged material in the EEZ?

An additional option for completely removing the sediments from the Tidal Elbe is another relocation site in the EEZ - the so-called Exclusive Economic Zone west of Helgoland. We submitted an application for approval for this to the responsible Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency in spring 2022. However, it remains to be seen when and whether legal authorisation can be expected. And because the Port of Hamburg always needs planning certainty, Hamburg is also examining other options in the tidal and outer Elbe as well as the territorial sea. These include a potential relocation site in Hamburg's Outer Elbe. The necessary impact assessment for this is already available

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FAQ on dealing with mud in Hamburg and the Elbe

The most important questions and answers at a glance.

 

Water depth maintenance includes all measures to ensure the required water depths in the Elbe and in the Port of Hamburg on a permanent basis. This includes continuous monitoring of the navigation channels by sounding, sampling and analysing sediments and dredging and relocation to eliminate shallow depths.

 

 

Due to natural flow and sedimentation processes, sediments are regularly deposited in the Elbe, mainly fine-grained mud. These deposits are regularly removed in order to maintain the water depths required for shipping and to keep the navigation channels usable for the current ship sizes.</p

 

 

Sediments are an important natural component of the Elbe. If the mud only contains low and harmless levels of pollutants, it can remain in the water without any negative ecological impact. This conserves resources and avoids expensive and time-consuming treatment and disposal on land.

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A relocation site is a professionally inspected and authorised area in the Elbe or the North Sea where dredged sediments may be returned to the water system in a controlled manner.

<p

 

 

Relocation sites are used to deposit excess mud from Hamburg and the Elbe in a controlled and ecologically compatible manner. The natural flow conditions transport the sediments there and redistribute them throughout the system.</p

 

 

There are several professionally tested and authorised relocation sites along the Elbe and in the North Sea. These include Neßsand, St. Margarethen, the Neue Lüchtergrund and the North Sea relocation site Tonne E3.

<p

<p>Hamburg is also examining additional options, including a possible relocation site in the Hamburg Outer Elbe and in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

 

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