Frank Horch News

Port of Hamburg is taking a further step toward improving air quality at its port. Innovative technology developed right here in the city is set to enable large and very large container ships to switch off their auxiliary diesel supplies during lay time and instead draw the power they need for on-board operations from a new kind of mobile generator.Becker Marine Systems, Hapag-Lloyd AG and Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) have been testing the new technology as part of a joint pilot project since the start of the year. Technology supplier Becker Marine Systems developed the mobile power generator, then partnered with Hapag-Lloyd and HHLA for the test phase.

Europe's third-largest container port, Port of Hamburg, is preparing for the future with improved infrastructure and digitalization. Frank Horch, Hamburg’s Senator for Economics, Transport and Innovation, said: "The Port of Hamburg must become a Port 4.0 , with digitalization and how this will change supply chains. We will improve the infrastructure, implement the fairway adjustments and secure good general conditions. When extending the port it will be important to identify how Hamburg as a broad based universal port can be economically sustainable, strong and generate new impulses," he added. An example is the new mobile standard 5G, which is being tested in the Port of Hamburg. “5G offers a level of security, reliability and speed that current mobile networks are unable to match.

Port of Hamburg project to redesign the Vorhafen harbor basin entrance completed, meaning more maneuvering space for big ships, faster berth assignment and improved safety of navigation. The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) said it has officially completed the project “Redesigning the Entrance to the Vorhafen Harbor Basin”, within the schedule, both in terms of time and money. The widened Vorhafen basin access benefits both container shipping and cruise shipping. For one, the tidal…

Plans to dredge the river Elbe in Hamburg must be improved before a stop order on the work is lifted, a German court ruled on Thursday, raising the risk of more delay to work to deepen Germany's biggest port and open it up to new container ships. Green pressure groups had lodged a legal complaint against the original plan, arguing the environmental impact of dumping mud and sand on fragile coastal wetlands would be devastating. Following the ruling from Germany's top administrative court that authorities must do more to protect the river's maritime environment, shares in Hamburg port terminal operator HHLA were down 11.5 percent at 1215 GMT. The Hamburg city government said it was pleased the court had in principle accepted that dredging can take place.

The adjustment of the navigation channel on the Lower and Outer Elbe is the most important strategic expansion project for the Port of Hamburg. In view of the rapidly growing ships, Hamburg is dependent on adapting its seaward access to this technical development in the long term. This is the only way to ensure that Hamburg can be called at economically viable conditions and that its port remains competitive. During the oral proceedings of the last three days, the Federal Administrative Court in Leipzig intensively discussed legal and technical questions related to the adjustment of the navigation channel for containerships with a depth of 14.5 meters.

DNV GL has signed a letter of intent with the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA). Claudia Flecken, Member of the HPA Executive Board, and Torsten Schramm, President of DNV GL – Maritime, agreed to join forces in boosting the sustainability of the existing HPA fleet and all new acquisitions. “This letter of intent is another building block in our strategy of setting Hamburg’s harbour on a sustainable course,” says Jens Meier, Chairman of the HPA Executive Board. “We are delighted to know that DNV GL is working alongside us as a strong partner and independent advisor, supporting us every step of the way with their expertise,” Meier continues. Frank Horch, Hamburg’s Senator for Economy, Transport, and Innovation, says: “Hamburg wants to contribute to reduce emissions in the harbour.

The Port of Hamburg reports higher bulk cargo throughput and strong growth in rail and inland waterway seaport-hinterland traffic in 2015 – downturn in container handling. In 2015 seaborne cargo throughput in the Port of Hamburg was 5.4 percent lower at 137.8 million tons. In Hamburg as a universal port, growth in bulk cargo throughput was maintained in 2015. In this important handling segment, total volume of 45.5 million tons represented growth of 5.8 percent on the previous year.

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.

The Port of Hamburg continues record performance handling a total of 72.6 million tons (+ 6.6 percent) in the first six months of 2014. Hamburg’s universal port with 50.7 million tons of predominantly container handling achieves a result of 4.8 million TEU (20-ft standard containers), an increase of 6.8 percent. The largest seaports on the north European continent show an average growth in total handling of 1.8 percent and in container handling of 2.6 percent. The Port of Hamburg can look back on above average growth in container traffic, building up its market share from 25.7 to 26.7 percent.

Hamburg Süd today christened its new containership Cap San Raphael in the presence of 700 guests at the Burchardkai Terminal in the Port of Hamburg. The ship’s Sponsor is Ingeborg Schäuble, former Chair of the German Welthungerhilfe and wife of the German Finance Minister, Dr. Wolfgang Schäuble. Other participants in the ceremony included   Dr. h. c. August Oetker, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Oetker Group, and Hamburg Senator for Economic Affairs, Frank Horch. The Cap San Raphael is one of six new container ships built for Hamburg Süd by the Korean shipyard Hyundai Heavy Industries in Ulsan. She is currently – like her sister ships – deployed in the liner service between Europe and the East Coast of South America.

PRISE, the Port River Information System Elbe, will soon be officially launched following a one-year trial. The new IT platform will bring together all information on ship arrivals and departures from all of the parties involved in the handling process: the terminals, pilots, shipping companies/brokers, tugs and mooring people as well as the Harbor Master Authority. At the Port of Hamburg and on the Elbe, an increasing number of ever-larger ships require handling within narrow time frames. A more rapid flow of information between all of the involved parties is essential in order to cope with the growing level of complexity for planning and execution.

The Hamburg Cruise Port said it reached the 500,000 passenger mark in a single season. The port anticipates further growth forecast for 2014, with the 200th ship in sight. “The visit by the Queen Mary 2 to Hamburg on November6, 2013 will go down in the annals of Hamburg’s cruise industry and become an unforgettable ship’s call for everyone concerned,” said Frank Horch, Senator of the Ministry for Economic, Transport and Innovation Affairs. The visit was not only the 168th call of the current season but also marked the arrival of the 500,000th cruise guest in the city.

Cash-strapped  JJ Sietas Group is building a Van Oord liftboat but as a second order is uncomfirmed the yard's future is in doubt. In June 2012 the creditors’ committee voted in favour of an offer by the VeKa Group of the Netherlands to take over the Sietas shipyard. Despite six months of intensive negotiations, it has not proved possible to complete the deal. The reason being that the Sietas shipyard currently has only one order for a new construction, a jack-up vessel for offshore wind farms for the Dutch marine engineering company Van Oord. The prospect of a second new construction order of an identical type and the resulting continuing employment of the shipyard was stipulated by VeKa as a condition for the takeover.

The cabinet decision taken in Lower Saxony on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, means that the required assent from the three states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony for the adjustment of the navigation channel on the Lower and Outer Elbe has now been received. Given the significance of the deepening of the navigation channel, the German Administrative Court in Leipzig will in the first and final instances be responsible for hearing any possible objections. The period for lodging these runs for four weeks from the date of display of draft final approval. Against the background of the 894 ultra-large vessels (AGF) handled in Hamburg during 2011…

Starting in November 2011, two new feeder line services will be scheduled for regular sailings between the Port of Hamburg and Russia. The shipping company Team Lines will be using the RUS 2 Service in the Hamburg – St. Petersburg – Hamburg – Bremerhaven – Hamburg rotation to augment its RUS 1 service handled by its own vessels with capacities of OOCL for containerised shipping to this key market region. The first ship will be sailing from Hamburg on 7 November. The Swan Container Line has also included Hamburg in its weekly schedule for its St. Petersburg service. On the Hamburg – St. Petersburg – Rotterdam – Hamburg rotation, two 900 TEU container vessels link Germany’s largest seaport with Russia.