Elbe River News

The first vessel carrying LNG for Germany's Baltic Sea terminal of Mukran arrived on Saturday for a test operation as the country steps up its quest to replace Russian pipeline gas.Private company Deutsche ReGas said that Energos Power, a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU), had moored at the terminal on Ruegen Island, having received approval from local authorities.Germany has intensified its quest to increase LNG capacity for regasification on its shores, as European countries seek to reduce their heavy reliance on Russian gas following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.The tests will

Germany's emerging liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in the Elbe river port of Stade expects its floating regasification vessel (FSRU) to arrive in February, allowing seaborne gas cargoes to be fed into local pipeline grids, its management said on Wednesday.The move is part of Germany's quest to increase LNG import capacity so it can end reliance on Russian pipeline gas, which Europe has heavily depended on prior to Moscow's invasion of Ukraine last year."The Transgas Force (the designated ship) is anticipated to arrive in February and will remain for three years, ahead of the commissioning

Danfoss Power Solutions said its Editron division has been chosen to provide drivetrain systems for three hybrid passenger ferries that will operate on the Elbe River in Hamburg, Germany. German shipyard Schiffbau- u. Entwicklungsgesellschaft Tangermünde mbH (SET) will build the vessels for Hamburg transportation company HADAG, expanding its fleet to 29 ships.Hamburg’s passenger ferry service is integral to its public transportation offering. With eight routes stopping at 20 different piers, the ferries are used by approximately 9 million passengers annually.

When it came time to replace their 50-year-old station vessel New York, the Sandy Hook Pilots Association thought long and hard, weighing their options to determine the best possible solution. They traveled the country, to Houston, San Francisco and up to the Columbia River, and even to Europe—the Elbe River in Germany and Rotterdam in the Netherlands—to ride with other pilots in search of an answer.“We looked at everything from SWATH (small-waterplane-area twin hull) boats to helicopters to big boats in Europe…

The Port of Hamburg announced that in the course of the Elbe's river dredging, construction stones to improve usability for shipping, were successfully build into the "Medemrinne" and "Neufelder Sand".Specifically from March until October 2019, around 1,200,000 tons were build in the above mentioned underwater deposit areas (UDAs).Machulez KG, a member of the Cuxhaven Port Authority (HWG), coordinated the logistics requirements between the underwater construction companies, the quarry and the locally responsible institutions. Machulez provided its logistics network and portside infrastructure and acted as a base port within the framework…

Port of Hamburg is continuing its dredging projects on the Elbe River as per plan. The second hopper dredger named Bonny River has been conducting dredging operations on the federal stretch and taking the spoil to the UWA - underwater dredged material disposal site at Medemrinne, from October.Built in 2018, the ‘Bonny River’ has a hold capacity of over 16,000 cubic meters; consequently having a highly efficient performance level.The holding area near Brunsbüttel and the widening work on the WSV - federal waterways and shipping stretch are finished. With the widening from 300 to 320 meters from Wedel to down river from the mouth of the River Stör…

Port of Hamburg, Germany’s biggest universal port, said that in the first three months of 2019, at 2.57 million tons, the total quantity of cargo carried by inland waterway craft between the Port of Hamburg and its hinterland achieved double-digit growth of 12.1 percent.One limiting influence on the further development of quantities by inland vessel this year has been the barely navigable River Elbe caused by low water since May.From Stefan Kunze’s point of view; he is head of the Port of Hamburg Representative Office in Dresden, against this backdrop it is difficult to forecast the ongoing development of cargo quantities carried by inland vessels on the Elbe this year.Already last year…

The deepening and fairway widening program on the Elbe River officially launched yesterday (July 23)."The adjustment of the Elbe fairway will offer much better connections between the Port of Hamburg and the global flow of goods," said Dr. Maximilian Rothkopf, Chief Operations Officer of Hapag-Lloyd AG, during a groundbreaking ceremony held today to mark the official start of dredging operations.“Once the relevant work has been completed, the world’s largest container ships will be able to reach the City of Hamburg with virtually no limitations,” Rothkopf said. In addition to container liner shipping companies, he continued, this will ultimately also benefit customers worldwide…

Germany's Uniper on Tuesday said it favors a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at the Wilhelmshaven deep sea port on the North Sea coast, less than a week after peer RWE said it secured access to capacity should a rival project at Brunsbuettel go ahead."Wilhelmshaven in particular can be a suitable location, there are many arguments in favour of it," spokesman Leif Erichsen said in a written statement.He cited the port's ability to offer infrastructure for LNG vessels of all sizes and its proximity to the German long-distance gas pipeline grids and underground storage caverns in the norther

Nauticor has conducted the largest-ever LNG bunkering operation in Germany in the Elbehafen in Brunsbüttel. As the maritime market moves rapidly toward alternative fuel in the face of strict sulphur guidelines set to take effect in 2020, LNG is emerging as a prefered alternative, and the means to fuel commercial boats and ships of every size is taking shape in many forms. In Germany, for example, Nauticor has conducted the largest-ever LNG bunkering operation in Germany in the Elbehafen in Brunsbüttel…

To meet the cruise industry’s growing demand, Hamburg will open its third cruise terminal in Steinwerder, a former island separated by the Elbe River from downtown Hamburg, according to the port authority. Hamburg is Germany’s leading port for luxury cruise ships. The expectation is the fact that ever bigger floating hotels are going to be making the Elbe River at the avenue for call. The Hamburg Cruise Center Steinwerder is designed to handle up to 8,000 passengers at once. To ensure smooth passenger and baggage flow, the terminal will feature separate entry and exit areas, allowing for simultaneous boarding and disembarking of passengers. Other cruise terminals are in operation at HafenCity Hamburg and Altona.

SMM was another full success. With more than 2,100 exhibitors from all around the world, including 150 first-timers, with 50,000 industry visitors and roughly 90,000 square metres of exhibition space, SMM has demonstrated once again what it means to be the leading international trade fair of the maritime industry. After four days brimming with activity, the 26th SMM came to a close today. "We set new records this year," said Bernd Aufderheide, CEO and President of Hamburg Messe und Congress GmbH. "The excellent turnout not only showed that companies are ready to meet the current challenges with determination, but it also revealed a growing appreciation for collaboration," he added.

After an intensive search of over two years, the insolvency administrator, Berthold Brinkmann, has found a strategic investor for the renowned Sietas Shipyard in Hamburg: Pella Shipyard from Otradnoye near St. Petersburg, Russia is taking over the company as of March 10, 2014. The purchase agreement with the Hamburg-based company Terraline GmbH, a member of Pella Shipyard Group, has already been concluded and officially certified by a solicitor, but is still awaiting approval by the creditors’ committee and banks. Following the takeover, Terraline will be renamed Pella Sietas GmbH.

Drewry Maritime Equity Research takes a positive view on the global port sector thanks to an improved outlook for a global economic recovery, driven by areas of favorable supply demand dynamics. Container trade is predicted to grow by 4.7% this year and 5.7% next year, reaching 684 million teu by the end of next year, according to the latest forecasts from Drewry. Port capacity is only expected reach 994 million teu by 2014 increasing at a CAGR of 3.9% since 2011, which will nudge average utilization up to 69% in 2014 from 67% in 2011. However, there will be wide regional variations, leading to very different utilization levels across geographies.

On February 23 2011, the container vessel CSCL Star called the port of Hamburg on her maiden voyage in their Far East liner service Asia-Europe Express-1/China-Europe-Mediterranean Service (AEX-1/CEM). CSCL Star with a capacity of 14 074 TEU, based on her container slot capacity, is the largest container vessel ever dispatched in the port of Hamburg. With a length of 1,200 ft and a beam of 168 ft the CSCL Star can load 20 rows of containers. Fully loaded she reaches a maximum draft of 50.8 ft. The port of Hamburg is served on a weekly basis in the joint AEX-1 service of China Shipping and Evergreen which was founded in July 2009. The round voyage takes 56 days and serves the following ports: Hamburg, Rotterdam, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Ningbo, Yantian, Felixstowe, Hamburg.

As she entered the Hamburg, Germany, harbor on February 9, 2010, AIDA Cruises’s newest addition to the fleet, AIDAblu sailed right past the Caterpillar Marine Power Systems headquarters on the historic Elbe River. The AIDAblu represents the fourth ship in a series of seven AIDA club ships powered by MaK engines. The 827-ft Sphinx-class series cruise ship has a passenger capacity of 2,192 over 14 decks. These 4x MaK 9 M 43 C engines in a diesel-electric configuration will provide 36,000 kW (48,960 bhp) for both main propulsion and electric power to the main switchboard.

Mechanical engineer Till Braun of Germanischer Lloyd is passionate about precision. "If I was building a boat, any boat, I would want to have a classification society involved," he says. Till, Project Manager for the society’s Diesel Engines and Emissions Department, is charged with certifying that engines meet the Rules for Diesel Engines of GL. The IMO air quality requirements, known as Marpol Annex VI, are also handled by this department headed by Claus Hadler. But as one of 700 employees at the Germanischer Lloyd head office in Hamburg, he can be part of one of the teams that are called together to oversee the construction of a particular vessel.

The AIDAdiva is expected to arrive at Hamburg Cruise Center (Großer Grasbrook) on April 18. As it is the case for each first call of a cruise ship she will be welcomed by a fireboat in the Elbe river and accompanied to her berth. Then, at 3 pm the AIDAdays will open officially. The christening ceremony as the highlight of the AIDAdays will be on April 20. At 9 pm the ship will leave the berth at Hamburg Cruise Center, surrounded by a spectacular lightshow, produced by the star light architect Gert Hof. The ship will then be at the level of the Hamburg Fischmarkt. On April 22 the AIDAdiva will leave the Hamburg Cruise Center only for few days, heading for the Port of Kiel. The ship is expected to be back already on April 29 to begin its maiden voyage on April 30.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) issued the report of the multi-agency investigation of the collision between the Arctic Ocean and the Maritime Lady, the capsize of the Maritime Lady, contact with the wreck by the Sunny Blossom, and the subsequent grounding of the Sunny Blossom in the Elbe River on 5 December 2005 [and that’s just the title]. The investigation may be most memorable, though, for its discussion of the unwillingness of two principal witnesses (the master of the Maritime Lady and the nautical supervisor of VTS Brunsbüttel) to share their recollections with the investigators. The “American disease” seems to be spreading. Source: HK Law

Two ships collided in a German river, sinking one of the vessels and throwing seven of its sailors into the water, according to an AP report. A third ship later ran into the wreckage. Tugboats pulled the sailors from the estuary of the Elbe River after a freighter carrying fertilizer collided with a container ship north of the port city of Hamburg. The freighter capsized and quickly sank. A tanker, which was also carrying fertilizer, plowed into the wreck in the dark about an hour later. The container ship was able to continue its journey, while the tanker was pulled free and brought into a nearby harbor. Source: AP

The Hanseatic Port of Hamburg on Germany's Elbe River has never shied from innovative means of moving citizens and visiting ship's crew from the south shore harbor area to the beautiful city spread along the river's north shore. In 1911 they built, and continue to use, a tunnel that requires that cars be lowered one at a time in elevators to the sub river level, then drive through the tunnel to be elevated to road level on the other side. The elevator buildings reflect the design sensibilities of the picturesque Northern European port at the same time as displaying the ports continuing trade driven affluence. On the water, sightseeing…

On the Elbe River, the famous port of Hamburg's Nautical Institute had its final intake this year due to a shortage of prospective students. From now on it will be known as the Hamburg Institute for Ship Handling and Simulation, but for many years it sent highly trained young people to sea. Some of those, after gaining years of deep sea experience, returned to Hamburg to become river and docking pilots. The Port has two pilot stations and two pilotage authorities. The Harbor Pilots (Hafenlotsenbrüüderschaft), of which there are about 45, work from a beautiful brick building complete with clock tower on a point at the entrance to the port on the south side of the river where most of the docks are located.