Page 19 - Port of Hamburg Magazine - 01.19

HHLA opens ‘Gateway to Future’ in port
Interview with Angela Titzrath, Chairwoman of HHLA’s Executive Board
Port of Hamburg Magazine: Frau Titzrath, can you help us to solve an apparent contradiction? Titzrath: Gladly. Which contradiction then?
Why is the development of the Port of Hamburg described as ‘stagnating’ and ‘has lost con- tact to the competition’, even though HHLA, as the biggest company in the port, is very successful?
The long legal dispute about the Elbe fairway adjustment has damaged the port in general. Linked to this, there is less acceptance for the Port in the city, in spite of it safeguarding some 160,000 jobs and generating an annu- al added value in excess of 600 million euros. Add to this that the port has not profited from growth in the container business as have other ports in the North Range. In any event, counting boxes is a purely quantitative view that may be suitable for marketing purposes, but says very little about the quality of a port. The Port of Hamburg is, just as before, one of the most advanced, high perfor- mance ports, with HHLA having a weighty share in it.
The Elbe navigable channel is now being deepe- ned and widened. What does this mean for the future of the Port of Hamburg?
Stable navigable accessibility is an absolute precon- dition for the port to assert its position in compe- tition among the European seaports, and then to strengthen it. We assume that the fairway adjust- ment will lead to a moderate growth in quantities handled. The widening and deepening of the Elbe navigable channel is however only one of a number of essential preconditions for the successful future of the port. Over and above that, further invest- ments are needed in the port and transport infra- structure.
How realistic is asking for more money for the port when, in the meantime, a widely held view exists that Hamburg has to be more than a port and a trading centre?
FUTURE PORT ■
Port of Hamburg Magazine | March 2019 | 19