Heavy-lift handling in Hamburg

Port of Hamburg – universal, diverse and high performance

When the doors open on 29 May at Messe Bremen on ‘Breakbulk Europe 2018’, the world of breakbulk specialists will meet on the Weser for three days. Naturally, the Port of Hamburg will be exhibiting, just as it has done since the first Breakbulk Fair in 2006. This year, in hall 5/ booth 1109, ten companies from the Hamburg Metropolitan Region will be showcasing: the port and terminal operators HHLA Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG, Seehafen Kiel, Lübecker Hafen-Gesellschaft and Brunsbüttel Ports, the shipping lines Hamburg Süd and ONE Ocean Network Express, as well as transport and logistics service provider Alfons Köster, SACO Shipping, TCO Transcargo and Breeze Group.  
 

 

When it is heavy and big  

What really distinguishes the Port of Hamburg as a universal port is its diversity. This is why breakbulk handling is of immense importance. This cargo is extremely labour intensive and very demanding. It requires a lot of expertise, experience and special equipment to do it properly – and it is all available in Hamburg.

The Port of Hamburg has a range of multi-purpose terminals that are specialized in completely different types of cargo: project cargo, heavy lifts, out of gauge, RoRo, metals, forestry products, tropical fruits – you will find the right handling company for each and every type of cargo in the city. Hamburg’s position as a breakbulk port in terms of international transport chains is additionally enhanced by a diverse range of logistics services related to breakbulk handling.  

In Hamburg, there are more than 25 different shipping companies involved in the conventional sea transport segment. The types of goods transported and trade routes are diverse, ranging from weekly fruit services from the Caribbean and car transporters to West Africa, to fortnightly eastbound multi-purpose services. In addition, Hamburg is called, when needed, by project and heavy-lift tonnage to ship plant components worldwide. Some 15 percent of the approximately 9,000 ship calls per year in the Port of Hamburg are made by breakbulk and heavy lift freighters or specialized units for rolling or reefer cargo.
 

 

More flexibility due to new floating crane capacity

When it comes to really heavy-lifts, the Port of Hamburg demonstrates just how flexible it is. They are mostly shifted with the help of the ship’s own cranes or quayside crane capacity (up to max. 400 tons). Additionally, in Hamburg the two floating cranes HHLA III (max. 100 tons) and HHLA IV (max. 200 tons) are available, operating in tandem then can lift 300 tons. Since the beginning of the year, the ‘Enak’ an even stronger option, with a capacity of up to 600 tons has been added.

Previously, this heavyweight was stationed in Bremerhaven. After taking over Bugsier Reederei, the new owner Lührs Schifffahrt transferred the floating crane to Hamburg. By stationing ‘Enak’ in Hamburg, this opens up really new opportunities for shippers, project forwarders and heavy-lift shipping companies to use the high-level performance of the Port of Hamburg for handling their project cargo.