HHLA with New Container Cranes at Waltersdorf Port

Two new container cranes have arrived at the Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB) of Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) on Wednesday, intended for berths 1 & 2 at Waltershofer Hafen. The new container cranes reached the Port of Hamburg on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, aboard the “Zhen Hua 27”.

(Hamburg) The “Zen Hua 27” is expected to remain at Athabaskakai until November 23 to prepare the cranes for landing at the terminal. After that, the ship will be relocated to its final position at berths 1 & 2, allowing the cranes to be installed at the quay by the end of November. The final commissioning will take place in early 2025.

Ingo Witte, Managing Director of CTB: “The deployment of the new container cranes marks another significant milestone in the comprehensive modernization of Burchardkai. Our goal is clear: we want to make container handling at CTB more efficient, sustainable, and thus future-proof. Thanks to the size of these cranes, we offer our customers maximum flexibility in handling their largest container ships.”

Most Modern Container Cranes Worldwide

The new container cranes at CTB are among the most modern in the world and are capable of servicing ships with a capacity of up to 24,000 standard containers (TEU). Each crane is 80 meters tall and features booms that are also 80 meters long, spanning a total of 26 container rows. They replace the previously smaller models at the terminal. Since 2019, CTB has been using these mega-ship container cranes. By 2026, three more cranes of this dimension will be added to ensure greater flexibility for the so-called Ultra Large Container Vessels at Waltershofer Hafen. After the expansion, CTB will have a total of 18 mega-ship cranes out of a total of 26 cranes.

As the largest seaport terminal in Germany, Burchardkai plays a vital role in supplying European consumers and businesses daily. The facility is currently undergoing extensive modernization while in operation and is considered the largest brownfield project in the world. From 2026, automated container transporters (Automated Guided Vehicles) will take over the transport between the quay and the automated block storage. Additionally, the capacity of the block storage is continuously being expanded – three more storage blocks will be put into operation in the coming weeks. To create a modern environment for the maintenance and servicing of the equipment and facilities, CTB is currently building a new 5,000 m² workshop.

Power from Renewable Energies

Sustainability is the focus of the terminal’s further development. The container cranes, storage and rail cranes, as well as the new AGVs will be powered exclusively by electricity from renewable energies. The new workshop will also feature a photovoltaic system. HHLA’s goal is to operate climate-neutral across Europe by 2040.

Photo: © HHLA/Dietmar Hasenpusch