With the arrival of the hopper dredger Scheldt River, the deepening and widening works of the Elbe River have officially kicked off.

"We have waited a long time for today and are now hoping for rapid implementation," Ingo Egloff, Chairman of the Board, the Port of Hamburg Marketing, said.

He continued by saying, "The port is already megaship-ready and can handle the largest container ships with a slot capacity of over 20,000 TEU, as well as other mega-vessels. Suitable berths and terminal equipment make that right possible now."

Egloff then underlined, "Irrespective of the tide, after the fairway adjustment, ocean-going ships will be able to leave Hamburg with a draft of 13.50 metres; and using flood tide, with one of 14.50 metres. For shipping, the fairway adjustment will provide one extra metre of draft and the related decisive advantages. Container ships will be able to transport around 1,800 more containers (TEU) per call. The 'passing box' downstream from Hamburg will make the Elbe navigable for mega-ships in both directions without the existing restrictions."

Photo: Port of Hamburg Marketing