Ships can now be bunkered with methanol and LNG at Hamburg’s Burchardkai and Predöhlkai container terminals. The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) has released the former Elbe island of Waltershof for bunkering using the ship-to-ship process.
According to the port authority, this measure represents another important step towards climate-friendly shipping. The approval is also in line with the energy and climate targets in the Port of Hamburg, which is to be developed into a “Sustainable Energy Hub” and contribute to the “Green Corridor” agreement. In addition to the availability of shore power, the supply of alternative fuels also plays a decisive role.
The first ships powered by ammonia and methanol have already called at the Port of Hamburg. There are also numerous newbuilds on the order books around the world that will no longer use conventional marine diesel as fuel. “These new types of ships require a corresponding supply infrastructure (so-called ‘bunker-ready terminals’) to ensure the availability of alternative fuels and make the port fit for the future,” says the HPA. In close cooperation with the energy company RWE Supply & Trading and other local stakeholders, a comprehensive risk analysis was carried out and a detailed safety concept developed. “The successful coordination has now made it possible to obtain permits for safe bunkering at the aforementioned terminal locations.”
The expansion of bunkering options for LNG (liquefied natural gas) and methanol to the two container terminals at the Port of Waltershof is intended to further increase the attractiveness of the Port of Hamburg. The HPA itself is not active in the bunkering market; bunkering is carried out by independent companies. The port administration has “now laid the safety-related foundations for the approvability of bunkering.” The HPA is currently in talks with shipping companies to use the new infrastructure.
Alternative fuels and shore power
Long before the Waltershof terminals, the Cruise Center Steinwerder has been ready for the bunkering of LNG for cruise ships since 2019. Methanol has also been supplied here since last year. This was implemented together with MB Energy and Cruise Gate Hamburg.
Meanwhile, the expansion of the shore power infrastructure in the port is continuing, and major shipping companies such as MSC and Maersk have already signed agreements to use it. In June, it was also announced that the container shipping company ONE will be using shore power at the Burchardkai (CTB) and Altenwerder (CTA) terminals in future. The Port of Hamburg has been providing shore power for cruise ships and container ships since May 2024, and all container terminals in the port are to be equipped with shore power infrastructure by the end of 2025. The systems are already in operation at Eurogate Container Terminal Hamburg (CTH) and HHLA Container Terminal Tollerort (CTT).
