Fairway Adjustment on the Elbe Has Been Approved

Since January 24, 2022, the final stage of the fairway adjustment has been approved. This allows ships with more cargo to pass through the Elbe to and from the Port of Hamburg. The goal of enabling 13.50 m deep-draught container ships to access the Port of Hamburg independently of tides has now been achieved.

(Hamburg) Even larger drafts are possible depending on the tides. Incoming and outgoing shipping now benefits from an increase in draft of between 1.00 m and 1.90 m compared to the state before the fairway deepening, depending on the ship’s dimensions. For example, Megamax ships with a width of up to 62.50 m and a length of 400 m can now navigate the port with a draft of up to 13.10 m independently of tides. Before the adjustment, the maximum was only 11.40 m. Tide-dependent, a draft of 15.40 m is even possible, compared to just 13.60 m before.

“We are pleased that after years of intensive planning, the megaproject of fairway adjustment has been completed. Above all, we thank our partners and customers who have repeatedly assured us of their trust in the Port of Hamburg in many personal discussions. The numbers show that the market has responded well to the first approval stage of the fairway adjustment. From May to December last year, the Port of Hamburg was visited by 2,377 container ships. Of these calls, 666 ships had a construction draft of over 13.80 m. And 96 of these ships had a draft that was not possible before the partial approval of the fairway adjustment. With the final draft approval, we expect further increases,” says Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA).

For Michael Westhagemann, Senator of the Hamburg Economic Authority, the completion of the work is a milestone for shipping traffic to Hamburg. “For Germany’s largest port, this means better conditions for calls, allowing shipping companies to bring more cargo to Hamburg,” says Senator Westhagemann. A ship of the Megamax class can thus deliver around 1,800 TEU more to and from Hamburg under ideal conditions. Particularly large bulk and cruise ships also benefit from the fairway adjustment.

More Cargo Routed via Hamburg

The two board members of Hafen Hamburg Marketing, Axel Mattern and Ingo Egloff, welcome the now successfully completed fairway adjustment of the Elbe. “For shipping and our port customers from the economy, the improvements in accessibility to Germany’s largest universal port also bring the advantage of routing more cargo via Hamburg. On the land side, the environmentally friendly railway takes the main share in the transport of goods and connects the market regions in the inland quickly and reliably with the port. With efficient transport routes, smart logistics solutions, and the increasing use of low-emission energy sources and technology, we are on the right track towards sustainable growth,” says Axel Mattern. His board colleague Ingo Egloff emphasizes that the Port of Hamburg secures around 607,000 jobs in Germany alone.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Hans-Heinrich Witte, President of the General Directorate for Waterways and Shipping, also emphasizes the advantages of the new fairway: “With the final approval, shipping now has significantly more draft available. In addition to the nautical advantages, the increased depths bring economic and ecological added value. More depth means better utilization of ships, leading to lower emissions per transported ton.”

Better Planning

Moreover, the improved planning also contributes to environmental benefits. The Hamburg Vessel Coordination Center (HVCC) can now further optimize its passage planning on the Elbe. This leads to increased safety, as potential conflict situations on the Elbe and in the port area can be further alleviated. Additionally, it also benefits the environment. Through just-in-time arrivals, many ships can reduce their speed and consume less bunker fuel. This, in turn, leads to lower pollutant emissions.

Another advantage for planning is the already existing meeting box. A meeting box has been built at Wedel over a length of eight kilometers. It allows ships with a combined width of less than 104 m to pass each other. Furthermore, the fairway between Wedel and the Stör estuary has been widened from 300 m to 320 m. Here, ships with a combined width of less than 92 m can now safely pass each other. In practice, it turns out that this section particularly facilitates the work of all parties involved.

Advantages for Terminal Operators

The fairway adjustment also ensures better planning at the terminals. Ships longer than 360 m receive larger departure windows from their berths. “The successful widening and deepening of the Elbe fairway is a necessary measure to maintain the competitiveness of the Port of Hamburg. The adjustment now realized, in combination with the investments already made by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) in large bridges and automated storage technology, enables the safe and reliable handling of ever-larger container ships. This creates a maximum level of planning certainty for both HHLA and our customers in approach management,” says Angela Titzrath, Chairwoman of the HHLA.

Positive Experiences Gained During the First Phase

The dredging work for the section-wise deepening and widening of the fairway was completed in both the delegation stretch and the federal jurisdiction area in spring 2021. In line with the approach developed after the previous fairway adjustment in 1999, the HPA’s Upper Port Authority and the federal nautical services coordinated at that time that the improved drafts would be implemented in two stages. Two reasons prompted the HPA and the Waterways and Shipping Administration of the Federal Government (WSV) to adopt this approach: Firstly, immediately after the completion of the dredging work, subsequent changes to the underwater slopes can still occur within the fairway. Secondly, this provided the opportunity for all parties involved to gain experience with new processes.

Photo: © HHM/Hasenpusch Productions