Page 34 - Port of Hamburg |Brochure |Port of Hamburg Magazine 2.2021

■ BREAKBULK
Hamburgians think holistically
Pieter Wasmuth, Chairman of Port of Hamburg Marketing’s Advisory Council and CEO of Company Partners consultants explains in his contribution, how the Port of Hamburg can keep pace with its competitors.
Dear readers,
I am delighted to be given the opportunity today to introduce myself to you as the new Chairman of Port of Hamburg Marketing’s Advisory Council.
I have always been powered by thoughts of innova- tion and the future. In senior posts in companies such as Shell, Senvion and Vattenfall, for many years I shared responsibility for positioning Northern Ger- many as a location fit to tackle a sustainable future. Since 2007, moreover, with my consultancy Compa- ny Partners, I have monitored essential processes for change. I look forward to being able to contribute this corporate expertise to my new honorary assign- ment.
The Port of Hamburg is a true hub. Geographically, it connects the high seas, European inland waterways,
and the hinterland. First and foremost, however, the port stands for innovation: Unceasing resolve and willingness to progress further make the port what it is.
For generations now, Hamburg merchants have em- braced holistic goods flows, from source to destina- tion. That remains true today. A host of questions therefore need to be answered for the future. The most essential is this: How can we in Hamburg con- tinue to succeed in keeping up with the competi- tion? We need to do more than simply deepen the navigation channel, and change needs to be accom- plished more swiftly than hitherto.
A further reality is the ‘New Silk Road’ right from Xu- zhou in China into Central Germany. For the Port of Hamburg, this opens up a new land transport route, and hence a far-flung network of international trad- ing hubs. The existing connection between Eastern Europe and the Port of Hamburg is vital – and must be continuously developed. Potential markets re- quire fresh, perhaps different, thinking. What chang- es will be essential to remain competitive in the cruise sector, for example?
One particular challenge over coming decades will be to sustainably ensure power supply for the port, ships and industry. Holistic thinking is essential here on climate protection and existing infrastructure. The debate on follow-up use of the Moorburg power station site with North Germany as the ‘hydrogen powerhouse’ can help further boost its attractive- ness as an industrial base, as well as long-term na- tional and international networking. Provided that our approach is in the finest Hanseatic tradition, de- termined, speedy and solution-focussed, success will follow.
Digitalization also needs a rapid boost, if we are to be able to both run traffic/logistics and conserve re- sources more efficiently. HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder serves as the model for the entire Port of Hamburg: Thanks to a high degree of digitalization and the automation of work processes, within less than 20 years it has become the world’s most effi- cient container terminal. We should like to pick up the baton there, but at the same time should not lose sight of another theme: Securing jobs.
The recently founded Advisory Council for Port of Hamburg Marketing wishes to assist in developing all these aspects, and with new ideas to provide ad- ditional stimuli for a Hamburg truly fit for the future. The Advisory Council looks forward to our cooperation! ■ red
34 | Port of Hamburg Magazine | June 2021
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