Pressure grows in Hamburg for Elbe fairways deepening

News - July 30, 2010

Representatives from port management, port users and politics demonstrated unity at a gathering in the German Port of Hamburg last month to call for deepening of the Lower and Outer Elbe fairways.

Port Strategy reports that although Hamburg Port Authority is already geared up to handle the biggest container ships currently in operation, there remains a strong sense of urgency with regard to deepening the fairways, which connect the Port with the North Sea.

More than 100 ships of 10,000 TEU are expected to call at Germany’s biggest seaport this year, some drawing up to 15.5m. Last month the new flagship of French line CMA CGM, the Christophe Colomb, arrived from Le Havre measuring 365.5m LOA, drawing the 15.5m at full capacity, which totals 13,800 TEU.

Christophe Colomb can presently only call at Hamburg during a certain tidal window, according to Hamburg’s state minister for economic and labour affairs, Axel Gedaschko.

The managing director of CMA CGM (Germany) GmbH, Reinhard Peschel, is also devoting his efforts towards the deepening of the Lower and Outer Elbe fairway. "

"The deepening of the fairway is inevitable," he said, "both for us as shipping company and the Port of Hamburg itself. CMA CGM has deliberately decided to come to Hamburg with ships such as the Christophe Columb because here we can find a very good hinterland traffic connection to Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia, and can also excellently pool our transhipment cargoes with the Scandinavian and Baltic area with feeder services."

"We are also very satisfied with the productivity of the Hamburg container terminals and the trusting collaboration. It is important to us that our ships can put up in the Port of Hamburg with as much flexibility as possible. We also continue to emphasise this to the local authorities and we are convinced that one will make the right decisions to expedite the deepening of the Elbe fairway as quickly as possible."

Port Strategy said the president of the Chamber of Commerce Hamburg, Frank Horch, pointed out the importance of an efficient port for the whole metropolitan region. This urgently includes the deepening of the Lower Elbe fairway, which is also acceptable from an ecological point of view. "The federal authorities have planned the deepening of the fairway and the environmental compensation measures with the greatest of care and competence," he said. "The overall ecological situation in the Lower Elbe region will be better, rather than worse, after the realisation. In addition, transport by ocean vessel is the most environmentally friendly form of cargo transport."