The Elbe shipping channel will be deepened over a distance of 116 kilometres from Hamburg to the mouth of the Elbe and widened in some places to create passing places. The adjustment is to make the port of Hamburg more accessible for the ever larger container ships.
'It is a project that will off course expand the capacity, performance and future potential of Hamburg's port. When you consider that two thirds of the products produced in the engineering and automobile sectors in southern Germany are shipped out from Hamburg, then of course we have to improve our performance, while taking responsibility for the climate and the environment,' says Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer.
The expansion is a joint project of the Hamburg Port Authority and the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration.
Current Management Concept
The impact of the expansion on the environment is going to be balanced by comprehensive environmental measures. Unlike previous dredging works, this time, the dredging is being accompanied by an extensive current management concept to minimise tidal energy and thus prevent major fluctuations in water depth and current strength.
DEME Contracted
Dredging company won the contract for the Elbe fairway extension. DEME's 8400-cubic-metre LNG powered trailing suction hopper dredger Scheldt River has already been deployed to conduct dredging works in the Elbe, but other vessels including backhoe dredgers and spreader pontoons will also be deployed. The contract has an approximate value of 238 million euros for the dredging company.
Watch a video about the Elbe fairway extension by the Hamburg Port Authority below.
