From April 23, the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV) and the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) will allow larger added ship widths on the Elbe’s meeting section off Wedel.
The aim is to further optimize traffic flow control and thus gradually increase traffic efficiency.
“The extended encounter widths are a real benefit for shipping on the Lower and Outer Elbe,” says Eric Oehlmann, Head of the Directorate-General for Waterways and Shipping (GDWS). “More width means more flexibility and efficiency.” This, in turn, is an absolute locational advantage for Germany’s largest seaport, with economic and ecological benefits.
“This is good news for Germany’s largest port,” said Senator Melanie Leonhard from the Ministry of Economics and Innovation. “Thanks to the meeting box, the Elbe federal waterway offers more space for traffic as well as greater efficiency and safety. More flexibility, less congestion on the Elbe – ships of even the largest size classes call at Hamburg regularly and can therefore be handled better.”
110 m added ship width on the Elbe
According to the GDWS, the practical tests are being planned in close consultation with the Brunsbüttel and Hamburg traffic centers. Together with the Elbe pilots and the Federal Waterways Engineering and Research Institute (BAW), the respective ship encounters are documented and continuously evaluated in order to make adjustments if necessary. The safety of shipping is always at the forefront. For this reason, weather and wind conditions during the course of the test may result in conditions being imposed, such as the adjustment of wind restrictions when encountering traffic.
If the test on the 6.5 km section of the route is successful, the existing rules will be adapted in stages. In the first stage, vehicles with a combined width of up to 110 m could then be allowed to meet. That is 6 m more than now. As soon as sufficiently reliable results under different weather and traffic conditions are available, a joint decision will be made on further improvements to the widths without prejudice to the results.
