THE long-drawn out legal battle over the deepening of the Elbe may be nearing an end with the Port of Hamburg announcing that it has received regulatory approval for the US$700 million giant project.
Contractors can now be hired to work on the project, which is seen by the port as a top infrastructure priority.
The multi-million project will add 2.4 metres of depth to the port's 44-nanometre (nm)-long channel, which would be enough for large container ships to transit with about 1,800 TEU more on board than they can carry today. In addition to a deeper channel, the project will create a wide 'passing box' where inbound and outbound ULCVs will be able to navigate around one another, thereby improving traffic flow. If legal appeals do not slow its progress, the project will likely be complete by 2020, according to he Maritime Executive of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The port of Hamburg is already equipped to handle ULCVs with nameplate capacities over 20,000 TEU, and the port says that the channel restrictions on the Elbe are the only technical obstacle to handling more traffic.
'This is very good news for our trading and shipping customers worldwide and for the whole Hamburg Metropolitan Region,' said joint CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, Axel Mattern. 'We have waited a long time for today and are now hoping for rapid implementation,' added Ingo Egloff, his Executive Board colleague.
Last year, the port lost container volume with throughput down by about one per cent. Meanwhile, regional powerhouse Rotterdam saw its throughput rise by nearly ten per cent, and Antwerp's volume rose by four per cent. In a statement, Mr Mattern explained that the Elbe was one of the leading causes for the loss of market share.
While the approval for the Elbe deepening could help the port to boost its numbers, it is not yet certain whether legal challenges will continue. Environmental groups like Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and Nature Conservation Union Germany (NABU) could still file an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court in an attempt to block the dredging programme.
Contractors can now be hired to work on the project, which is seen by the port as a top infrastructure priority.
The multi-million project will add 2.4 metres of depth to the port's 44-nanometre (nm)-long channel, which would be enough for large container ships to transit with about 1,800 TEU more on board than they can carry today. In addition to a deeper channel, the project will create a wide 'passing box' where inbound and outbound ULCVs will be able to navigate around one another, thereby improving traffic flow. If legal appeals do not slow its progress, the project will likely be complete by 2020, according to he Maritime Executive of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
The port of Hamburg is already equipped to handle ULCVs with nameplate capacities over 20,000 TEU, and the port says that the channel restrictions on the Elbe are the only technical obstacle to handling more traffic.
'This is very good news for our trading and shipping customers worldwide and for the whole Hamburg Metropolitan Region,' said joint CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing, Axel Mattern. 'We have waited a long time for today and are now hoping for rapid implementation,' added Ingo Egloff, his Executive Board colleague.
Last year, the port lost container volume with throughput down by about one per cent. Meanwhile, regional powerhouse Rotterdam saw its throughput rise by nearly ten per cent, and Antwerp's volume rose by four per cent. In a statement, Mr Mattern explained that the Elbe was one of the leading causes for the loss of market share.
While the approval for the Elbe deepening could help the port to boost its numbers, it is not yet certain whether legal challenges will continue. Environmental groups like Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) and Nature Conservation Union Germany (NABU) could still file an appeal with the Federal Administrative Court in an attempt to block the dredging programme.