Hamburg Port Authority
Neuer Wandrahm 4
20457 Hamburg
Germany
Telephone +49 (0)40 42847-0
www.hamburg-port-authority.de
REPORT
The Smart Port
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—CONTENTS—
—SHort ProFile—
tHe HPa
Interview Putting Things on the Right Track Simply Smart
A Fresh Breeze The Power of the Future
Get Ready to Click
The Psychology behind Traffic Jams
Short Profile
Impressum - Legal Notice
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8
12
16
20
24
28
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With a total workforce of 1,800 employees, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), a commercially oriented institution under
public law, manages all duties related to the area of the port of Hamburg. Among these duties are port planning and port
development, maintenance of the port infrastructure, guaranteeing the required fairway depths as well as ensuring the
navigational safety of ships. The institution is in charge of 313 km of rail tracks, 143 bridges, 124 km of public roadways
and 50 km of quay walls and waterfront walls, as well as tunnels, locks and lighthouses.
The HPA offers its customers a universal port 120 km inland from the open sea with competitive site advantages. It is the
owner of most of the port land and leases it out to enterprises of the port industry on a long-term basis. The management
of the HPA takes care to strike a balance between ecology and economy in everything they do. The port has excellent
hinterland connections, whereby the modal-split share of cargo moved by rail and inland waterway carriers is growing.
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Published by
Hamburg Port Authority, AöR
Neuer Wandrahm 4
20457 Hamburg
Phone +49 (0)40 42847-0
Fax + 49 (0)40 42847-2325
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hamburg-port-authority.de
Concept, text and design
3F Kommunikation
Photography credits
Gregor Schläger
©iStockphoto.com/sack
©iStockphoto.com/MsLightBox
Satellite photo: © albedo39 Satellitenbildwerkstatt/USGS
Michael Berendt
© Copyright by
Hamburg Port Authority, AöR
June 2013
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02.07.2013 15:08:08 Uhr
—editorial—
Growing the Smart Way
Smart is he who turns a learning curve into a straight line; who does not follow the principle of trial and error, but instead
embraces “Best Practice” and applies it. Why puzzling over new solutions sitting all alone in your office whilst outside
at other sites, in other sectors and companies there is so much knowledge available that you can start from the pole
position during warm-up?
How to achieve the above is outlined in the new “Shareconomy”: Sharing knowledge to multiply it. Letting others take
part in your developments and imparting your insights so as to mutually benefit from a lively exchange in partnership
competence networks.
Hamburg and the Hamburg Port Authority are doing precisely that: we are looking for new, smart forms of co-operation
that ensure the growth of our port. Project partners of the HPA are successful enterprises from the IT sector, from
industry and research, from the logistics sector. This report will give you an idea of the innovative force springing from
this dialogue. We wish you an inspiring read.
Jens Meier
Chairman of the Management Board
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Wolfgang Hurtienne
Managing Director
02.07.2013 15:03:27 Uhr
More efficiency with IT
Innovative IT solutions enable the port of Hamburg to increase the quality and efficiency of its
handling services. New traffic management solutions create the capacity to accommodate the
growth of the coming years. Transport modes and information systems are interlinked to
optimally utilise existing infrastructure resources in Germany’s biggest seaport. Shipping
companies, logistics services providers and port-operating enterprises benefit from shorter
lead times in container traffic.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:03:34 Uhr
—interVieW—
“Always a
Ship’s Length
Ahead”
Hamburg’s Senator for Innovation – this is
one of the offices Frank Horch is holding.
Together with the HPA’s Managing Directors, Jens Meier and Wolfgang Hurtienne,
Hamburg’s Senator for Economic Affairs
and Transport talks about developments in
the port of Hamburg that make international
headlines.
How innovative is the port of Hamburg, Gentlemen?
HORCH: Thorough market research includes looking be­
yond local boundaries. The logistics processes of a
seaport are about global trade flows and the question of
how such processes can be organised to ensure that
port operations run smoothly. In this context being innovative means, for example, to develop intelligent traffic
management solutions as well as to promote energyefficient technologies such as shore power or liquefied
natural gas (LNG).
HURTIENNE: In the past years we redefined the boundaries
of our port. Building new roads and rail tracks is no longer
the only concern; we also have to use existing capacity
more intelligently. With SmartPORT Logistics, we have
developed an innovative approach in that we increase
the efficiency of existing infrastructure capacities through
new IT systems.
MEIER: A port that wants to grow must think beyond the
limits, for instance, by implementing an IT infrastructure
that reaches far beyond the port. Traffic jams are not always caused in the port area itself. One of our challenges
is to organise traffic in coordination with the businesses
and logistics companies involved. Our aim is to identify
possible causes of congestion in advance and redirect
traffic before the problem occurs. One option is to alert
truck drivers approaching the port: The roads are crowded,
go to the next truck rest stop and take your break now
before heading on!
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:03:39 Uhr
Wouldn’t it be consistent to include other ports in SmartPORT Logistics so as to be able to manage global goods
flows across business locations?
With “SmartPORT Logistics” you have initiated a
project which, despite it being only a project at the moment, is considered a model for future traffic management in ports. What makes Smart Port new?
We are excellently interlinked both at a national
and international level. However SmartPORT Logistics
offers unique options which we, in view of our interna­
tional position, intend to use exclusively for our port.
Co-operation is fine, but fact is that ports also are com­
petitors.
HORCH:
MEIER:
DIVA, the traffic information system in operation
in the port of Hamburg, has been running for two years
now. Its sensors ensure that roads are not overloaded
and it automatically provides information about traffic disruptions to prevent trucks from getting stuck in jams.
SmartPORT Logistics does a lot more: It integrates transport routes, motorists, logistics centres and hubs via a
cloud-based IT platform. It creates the structure for a
transport chain that follows the rhythm of port oper­
ations.
MEIER: An IT infrastructure that makes sense for a port
always extends beyond that port. However a SmartPORT
Logistics North Range, for instance is, so I believe, not
a good idea as every port steers its own transportpolitical course and local challenges differ substantially
from port to port. Our vision is to be a port traffic centre
for the metropolitan region of Hamburg and beyond that
interlinks isolated control stations.
The objective is to provide holistic solutions to
traffic problems. What is crucial is to exploit intelligent
systems such as GPS and cloud technology in a manner
that best benefits the port and its infrastructure.
HORCH:
The HPA is only one of many players in the port of Hamburg. How ready are enterprises to commit themselves
when it comes to transport IT?
HURTIENNE:
SmartPORT Logistics has become a metaphor for an IT infrastructure that allows to control the
logistics processes in a port in the best possible way.
We are presenting this concept at international trade fairs
and at customers’. Other ports want to be smart too and
are trying to copy it.
HURTIENNE: Efficient transports are the key success factor
of the port of Hamburg. Time is of the essence in logistics, and businesses located in the vicinity of the port of
Hamburg have a keen interest in effective transport
management. When preparing the introduction of the port
railway’s new IT system, we worked closely together with
the many port-operating businesses. Without their
commitment we would never have been able to complete
the project successfully.
When developing new IT solutions the way SmartPORT
Logistics defines them, you are co-operating with
com­­panies that do not necessarily have anything to do
with port management. What do Lufthansa Systems,
T-Systems, DAKOSY or SAP have in common with the
logistics of a leading port?
We have been able to get some enterprises to
take part in the pilot phase of SmartPORT Logistics. The
feedback was very positive. After all, it will enhance the
competitive edge of the port industry if the management
of goods flows is improved and logistics centres can be
reached faster. We hope the success will prompt other
enterprises to join in.
MEIER:
It’s important to go out, to actively seek the
contact with other sectors and initiators to gain new perspectives. That is why we involve project partners in the
development of our port that may be considered leading
innovators in specific disciplines. They bring along technologies which are in part established and on the basis
of which new processes can be developed that always
put the port a ship’s length ahead of others.
MEIER:
That sounds very much like optimising transport in favour of the road …
Sharing knowledge in the dialogue with experts and ensuring that processes are highly transparent
shortens many a mile. When introducing the system, we
made sure that it is easily expandable and that we do not
commit to one specific solution too early. It’s an open
system. New modules, the next generation of mobile end
devices or other partners can be integrated at any time.
HURTIENNE:
Hamburg Port Authority
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HURTIENNE: The overall aim is to reduce traffic and get the
best out of existing resources, isn’t it?
HORCH:
Of course, we must make sure that we as a port
do not fail on the road. This is not about simply finding a
shortcut. What is increasingly important is to divide goods
across various transport modes – the modal split.
6
02.07.2013 15:03:39 Uhr
—interVieW—
They are betting
on a smart world port:
Hamburg’s Senator
for Economic Affairs,
Frank Horch and
the Managing Directors
of the HPA,
Jens Meier and
Wolfgang Hurtienne
(from right to left)
»Time is of
the essence
in logistics«
You heavily invested in the expansion of the port railway
and installed a new railway IT system, TransPORT Rail,
to increase efficiencies. What role will the railway play
in the future of the port of Hamburg?
Meier:
MEIER: The railway is of immense importance for the quality
the port of Hamburg can offer as a location for enterprises.
Every third container is moved into the hinterland by rail. In
container trade the share of the railway in hinterland transports, the so-called modal split, is 61 per cent. Our ultimate
aim is to further increase the proportion of freight transported by rail as the more eco-friendly mode of transport.
Hurtienne: Port planning is time consuming and costly and
The Port Development Plan is a flexible control
instrument to merge the many factors relevant to the
development of the port of Hamburg: value creation,
jobs, competitiveness.
often a very long process. It is important to have a general
framework at hand in the dialogue with business, political
associations and the interested public to indicate the longterm direction of the development.
What do you personally like about the technological
progress made possible by the developments in the IT
world?
Horch: The
landside connections between Hamburg and
Prague demonstrate just how successful we are. The
Czech Republic is excellently linked to the port of Hamburg by rail. Over 80 per cent of the goods bound for the
Czech Republic and transhipped in Hamburg are transported by rail. Hamburg is the most important freight rail
hub in the North Range.
Hurtienne: It is a blessing to be able to manage contacts
via mobile devices and to have access to ongoing projects
and company data via smartphone, not to mention the
convenience of finding a hotel abroad without problems.
Meier: It is important to be able to take along your environ-
The Port Development Plan outlines the course of the
port of Hamburg up until 2025. How much can you rely
on such a plan, given the fact that economic conditions
constantly change?
ment, transmit pictures and videos and share information
at any time: in today’s world of communications all this is
just a finger tip away. The paperless office, too, is within
reach.
Horch: In the world of the port of Hamburg cargo handling
is just one segment. Ecological aspects, for instance those
in relation to the energy transition – the switch to sustainable energies – must also be taken account of in port
development. We are not talking about feasibility analyses
here, but about measures that show commitment towards
residents and society at large. It’s a highly challenging
task for the port management and politics alike to provide
the means to be able to offer such services. The Port
Development Plan is the “guideway” for the future development of our port. We are talking about decades, not
about short-term effects.
Horch:
Hamburg Port Authority
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Via GPS, and supported by electronic nautical
charts and navigational help, simulations can be created
that are very close to real port operations, which helps
to save money and reduce risks. Investment decisions
can be delayed until after processes run smoothly.
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02.07.2013 15:03:41 Uhr
Putting Things on the Right Track
With TransPORT Rail the HPA – in conjunction with enterprises from the port
and the IT industry – has set the “track” for further trade growth on the rail network.
Hamburg Port Authority
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—TransPORT Rail—
The new railway IT system replaces the port railway information system HABIS.
While operations were ongoing and stock was rolling,
50 programmers made sure that container traffic stayed on track.
On board the technological revolution at the port railway: Lufthansa Systems and DAKOSY.
Hamburg Port Authority
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can be linked up immediately and easily, without the
need for time-consuming implementation. The IT system
is called TransPORT Rail. Unlike the old system, TransPORT Rail no longer runs via an external service pro­
vider but is now run by the data management centre of
the HPA.
Supporting a “waterside” principal in modernising its IT
structures is nothing unusual for Christopher Schäfer.
For four years, the IT expert at Lufthansa Systems has
had his office at the HPA’s headquarters at Alter Wandrahm 12. Aviation? “The leap from other sectors isn’t
that far,” says Schäfer. After all, transport logistics is
not only about process knowledge, instead – according
to the IT professional – “it means moving away from
main frames towards future-oriented service archi­
tectures.”
Shorter lead times create more capacity
The system change also improved usability. “We have
adapted the user interface to the ergonomic needs of
our time,” says Ulrich Baldauf, IT Strategist at the HPA.
Instead of ink-black screens displaying flickering network data in many colours, the user interface now
comes in bright HPA white and offers countless service
options.
New, service-oriented IT architecture
Today, service-oriented architecture (SOA) takes its cue
from the infrastructure requirements of a freight rail hub
where, on 300 kilometres of tracks, more than 100 rail
freight operators and 170 loading points need to be
integrated. The old system operated by the federal railway dates from the nineties – too old to meet the growing
rail freight needs of a liberalised market. “Though the
monolithic architecture was fast, it was as immobile as
a concrete block,” says Wolf-Jobst Siedler, in charge of
Railway Telematics at the Port Railway, a division of the
HPA. “On top, HABIS was not client-enabled.”
In view of continuously growing trade volumes in the
port of Hamburg, the port railway, too, is required to
increase its efficiency. Within the port’s boundaries
additional trade can be accommodated only if in-out
times of trains are reduced. Five hours to enter the
port, five hours to load and unload, five hours to leave
the port – that’s how time-optimised rail freight handling should look like in Siedler’s opinion. Currently, a
freight train spends a typical 18 to 25 hours in the port
of Hamburg – for now at least.
“Not client-enabled” means that all data in the system
are visible to everyone. It is neither possible to implement
bespoke requirements nor to realise customer-specific
expansions of functions. Software as a Service (SaaS)?
Forget it. Moreover, restrictions imposed by the
Bundesnetzagentur, the Federal Network Agency that
regulates track access, could not be realised with the old
system. The separation of railway infrastructure and railway logistics, which gives users of the track network the
freedom to choose their logistics services providers,
called for a completely new railway IT system archi­
tecture. In order to implement it, the HPA and the port
industry, supported by IT experts, jointly ushered in a new
digital era at the port railway by introducing TransPORT
Rail.
Just how complex railway logistics are is evident in the
fact that block trains rarely enter and leave the port. In
most cases, trains are disassembled upon entering the
port and the wagons are moved to one of the 170 loading
points, i.e. sidings of port-operating enterprises and
logistics companies. Upon leaving the port, wagons will
be re-configured into full-length trains.
On the fast track
TransPORT Rail puts the IT infrastructure in the port of
Hamburg on the fast track. It is the first expansion phase
of a system that synchronises private rail companies,
loading points and track capacity. Interfaces are standardised, processes are automated: The transport hub
turns into an information hub that makes rail container
handling a lot faster. When will the rail car be available
at the loading point? Are dangerous goods to be loaded? Is the cargo oversized or heavier than standard
Interfaces via web services are state-of-the-art IT technology – an open system, which as a “private cloud” is
shut off from the internet, but which is a lot easier to
manage and a lot more flexible. With a click of the
mouse, additional rail freight operators or loading points
TransPORT Rail: Make way for the new IT system
The new railway IT system of the HPA is an IT platform which further increases the efficiency of
the port railway’s track network. The system provides infrastructure data needed by the administration, for train configuration and booking of sidings. Additional service modules or rail freight
operators and logistics companies can be linked up at any time.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:03:45 Uhr
—TransPORT Rail—
Wolf-Jobst Siedler (45)
Head of Railway Logistics/Telematics at the Port Railway, HPA
»This is not a
slow train service –
here, minutes count.«
oriented IT architecture whilst business was as usual. 50
programmers were working on the project, among them
experts from DAKOSY, the IT service provider and longstanding development partner of the HPA.
cargo? Siedler: “We not only switch points and signals,
we are in charge of everything that moves on the
tracks.” The port railway is speeding up: rail freight
operators, for example, are allocated time frames
within which they can use certain tracks. Information
about the location of individual rail cars can be called
up via the system in real time, and customs clearance
of the goods loaded in the individual wagons has been
obtained by the time the train is assembled, not upon
its departure.
“Our partners are not only aware of the big role speed
plays in a leading port, they are also familiar with complex
logistics systems,” praises Siedler the excellent networking and collaboration with the external project partners.
During the several-month-long implementation phase the
train driver by training, who holds a degree in electronic
engineering, morphed into an early riser to make sure that
quality standards were maintained. Every Sunday, from
three to six o’clock in the morning, the 45-year-old stood
in the tower of the HPA railway yard in Waltershof and
looked down on the strangely quiet tracks of the Hamburg
port railway. For three hours, rail traffic is almost non-existent – three hours to maintain the equipment.
Migration in live operation
Migrating the system while operations were ongoing
posed a special challenge. Except for five days, the port
of Hamburg operates the whole year round, seven days
a week. “If the heart of the port railway stops beating,
the whole port is trapped on the tracks,” says Baldauf.
A dark comment that is quickly followed by a grin: “I am
proud that we managed everything without hick-ups.
That was great project work.”
Tests, acceptance, integration
First the tests, then acceptance and finally the integration
of the entire port industry: It took a mere eight months
to replace the old host system with a modern, service-
Innovative applications support the port railway and rail terminals in track planning and administrative tasks. With TransPORT Rail it is
possible to track the locations of wagons in the port area, process transport orders between rail freight operators and rail terminals or
ensure that customs clearance is obtained before trains leave or wagons are moved. Like in aviation, the system allocates slots that
enable the efficient control of railway operations.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:03:48 Uhr
Hamburg Port Authority
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—SmartPort Logistics—
Simply Smart
It will be silent on the roads of the future. They connect business partners ultra-fast.
They provide information that prevents congestion. They create the prerequisites for
growth. The HPA calls that SmartPORT Logistics. A mere development scenario?
It’s a lot more than that.
Growing beyond borders
SmartPORT Logistics is the intelligent response to rising cargo and transport volumes in Europe’s secondlargest container port; a project that shows how a business location can grow beyond its borders without
claiming more land to accommodate this growth. “In the
first step priority was given to optimising land transport
on limited road capacity, preventing congestion and
shortening stationary times,” explains Westermann,
whose vision of an intelligent port reaches further than
that: “The idea is to interlink traffic and freight.” Only if
you know exactly when what container needs to be
moved to where, can you manage your processes
optimally.
With “SmartPORT Logistics” the Hamburg Port Authority is giving time and space a new meaning. The research
project makes information the most important good. The
keyword is speed. Speed is not generated through faster
handling processes, but by perfectly synchronising location-specific transport logistics. The project provides
solutions to the crucial issues of a constantly growing
world port: how the loose ends of global supply chains
can best be interlinked to ensure that the result is not
transport chaos; how transport and logistics services
providers can be integrated in a cross-location transport
management system; how the deployment of innovative
technologies can multiply trade volumes.
“With SmartPORT Logistics, we have laid the “foundation
stone” for a holistic transport management,” describes
Sascha Westermann, Head of Intelligent Intermodal Traffic Management at the HPA, the status quo of an IT
solution that has been hailed a success during its pilot
phase already. What worked out perfectly with hauliers,
logistics companies, infrastructure operators and mobility
partners such as ADAC, the German Automobile Association, during the initial 90-day trial period may well
arouse the interest of traffic managers at other logistical
hot spots in the world.
The basis for SmartPORT Logistics is a cloud-based IT
platform: an interactive interface that integrates the
relevant data and information of the transport and logistics partners; a control instrument that points the way
within and outside of the area of the port of Hamburg,
taking account of destination addresses and current
traffic movements.
Dr Sebastian Saxe
CIO Hamburg Port Authority
»Our aim is to gradually interconnect all modes of transport –
from waterways and roads all the way to the railway.«
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:03:57 Uhr
Sascha Westermann
Head of Intelligent Intermodal Traffic Management at the HPA
»With SmartPORT Logistics, we have laid the “foundation stone” for
a holistic transport management. In the first step priority was given to
optimising land transport on limited road capacity, preventing congestion
and shortening stationary times.«
Co-operation under the banner of the cloud:
Markus Lindemann, T-Systems, DR Barbara Flügge, SAP, and Sascha Westermann, HPA,
advance the realisation of SmartPORT Logistics (from left to right)
railway yards,” says Dr Ulf Jasser, Account Director
Hamburg of T-Systems International GmbH.
The required IT infrastructure is in part provided by SAP,
the HPA’s project partner. The SAP HANA cloud technology has an open portal structure that functions as a
service market place which participants from the port
industry and other participating parties can conveniently
access at any time with a simple click of the mouse.
The telecommunications firm and the Walldorf-based
software corporation, SAP, are important driving forces
when it comes to developing new intelligent port logistics processes at the HPA. The development partnership is an excellent example of an innovation co-operation where know-how is transferred successfully from
other sectors. “We were looking for players that master
complex systems and that, because of their market position, are able to enhance and further develop SmartPORT Logistics,” says Dr Sebastian Saxe, Member of
the Management Board, Head of Services and CIO at
the HPA.
For the road the HPA’s IT managers have already
launched such a system, and successfully so if the media
statements of hauliers and port-operating enterprises
or the comments of renowned partner organisations
involved in the HPA project are anything to go by.
“SmartPORT Logistics integrates all parties that are a
part of the port logistics chain and thus optimises goods
flows as a whole. Together with our research and innovation department, Telekom Innovation Laboratories, we
have developed an overall logistics concept that can be
transferred to other logistics areas such as airports or
Hamburg Port Authority
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—SmartPort Logistics—
Apps that support truck drivers
Among others, the service market place offers apps that
help truck drivers to avoid traffic jams, stress and wasting time. It is smart when such application programmes
allow them to pass terminal gates faster because customs and freight document numbers can now be transmitted straight to the tablet PC in the driver’s cab. It is
smart when control points can process container transports electronically instead of shuffling papers. It is
smart to know where you can find vacant parking spaces
close by or the best curry sausage.
about the next truck stop – all in real time. Add in geofencing and the quality of the information is enhanced
further: via an electronically defined radius the telematics option automatically only extracts the information a
driver needs for his specific route section.
The expanded pilot operations, for which additional participants were linked up, revealed that the modelling of
SmartPORT Logistics was successful: “We are very
close to the real thing,” says Westermann. Experts predict container throughput because of SmartPORT Logis­
tics to rise in the port of Hamburg. “If we as the HPA
enable optimum use of the transport infrastructure in
the port, large shipping companies can move their containers faster from starting point to end point,” explains
Dr Saxe, who hopes that the transport data collected
will enhance the quality of port infrastructure information.
According to Saxe that would certainly help improve the
way bridge refurbishment measures are initiated.
“The cloud is the perfect IT solution for processes that
involve a wide range of partners, as is the case in the
port of Hamburg,” says Dr Barbara Flügge, Head of the
Transport and Logistics Competence Centre at SAP
AG. “The technology enables us to integrate participants via an IT platform independent of company-specific IT architectures and provide tools to control logistics
processes. In a joint field test, we identified the relevant
information about neuralgic traffic hubs based on which
we developed a service portfolio that is best suited to
meet the individual needs of all parties involved.”
T-Systems with the control portal TelematicOne is the
service provider that links and integrates freight information from different telematics systems. The solution
makes it possible to monitor the movements of trucks
via GPS and recommend alternative routes if required,
plan arrival times reliably or provide helpful information
The cloud as a service market place
Cloud technology is the basis for SmartPORT Logistics. Designed as a mobile “business cloud”,
the IT platform interlinks all participants from the port logistics industry. Among others, it provides
information about the port, traffic and infrastructure in real time. Via smartphones or tablet PCs
users have access from wherever they are to application programmes (apps) that allow optimal
control of their own traffic and goods flows.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:01 Uhr
More exciting port management projects are under way:
Ulrich Baldauf (second from right) and Daniel Probst from IT Strategy at the HPA
with two ITMC students, Felicitas Nord and Titus Schöbel (right).
Hamburg Port Authority
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—Research Co-operations—
A Fresh Breeze
Be it in close co-operation with various
chairs of the University of Hamburg or as
a party to diverse national and international
research projects or as a partner, supporter
and co-initiator of an IT study programme –
the HPA increases and shares its knowledge
in a dialogue with bright minds.
“During their time with us, it dawns on many students
just how cool the tasks and the work of the HPA really
are,” says Ulrich Baldauf. The IT strategist at the HPA
sounds enthusiastic and motivated when he speaks of
the various projects with the students: “We want to do
something for the management competence of young
people.”
Developments such as the recently launched control
station system – the port monitor – benefit from the
collaboration. Within the scope of the project “Generic
Architecture for Control Stations” (GeneAL) six computer science students from the University of Hamburg
analysed the processes that take place in the Vessel
Traffic Service Centre (VTS), the core control unit that
ensures safe vessel movements on the port’s waters.
Based on their findings they developed the port monitor
in close collaboration with the navigators of the Harbour
Master’s Office, which the VTS is a part of. (See also
“Get Ready to Click” on page 24)
Sponsor of a new master study programme
There are a variety of ways to support a university. The
HPA is a sponsor of the master study programme, IT
Management and IT Consulting (ITMC), at the University
of Hamburg. The endowed professorship was established in the winter term of 2010/ 2011. This specialised
education programme is supported and designed by the
Faculty of Computer Science of the University of Hamburg, the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and various
enterprises, among them the HPA; Dr Sebastian Saxe,
CIO and Head of Services at the Hamburg Port Authority,
represents the HPA on the board of trustees.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:10 Uhr
Estuaries are what experts define as the part of the
wide lower course of a river influenced by the tide.
Funnel-shaped estuaries such as the Elbe mouth
area can typically be found on tidal coasts.
Development) that deals with the North Sea estuaries.
Estuaries are the part of the wide lower course of a river
influenced by the tide. The estuaries looked at in the
project are protected by European guidelines and serve
as approach channels to major seaports. That includes
the Lower Elbe. The HPA, the leading partner of the
TIDE project, gathered a committee of renowned experts from universities, environmental agencies, port
authorities and waterway administrations from all over
Europe.
“All estuaries are facing similar challenges posed by,
for instance, changed tidal activities and the resulting
increase in sediments transported by the rivers,” says
Professor Dr Nicole von Lieberman, Head of Tidal Elbe
and Hydrology at the HPA. The HPA is in charge of
ensuring waterside access to the port of Hamburg. This
involves regular dredging of sediments brought in by
the river to keep the fairway deep enough for shipping.
At the same time these estuaries are used by many
other parties, ranging from fishing and agriculture, tourism, residents and flood defence all the way to environmental agencies and the port industry, whose many
different interests must be considered. “The objective
of TIDE was to share experiences with other project
parties and develop suitable measures and assessment
criteria for a sustainable, holistic estuary management
concept,” explains Manfred Meine, Head of the transnational TIDE project.
Within the scope of the ITMC programme partner companies, including the Hamburg Port Authority, offer the
students internships or suggest topics for the required
written assignments. Theory and practice are ranked
equal on the ITMC curriculum. “The mutual exchange of
practice-based research and research-based practice
offered in this programme is a real win-win situation for
everyone involved. The students apply theoretical
knowledge in practice, and the supporting companies
benefit from the new and young ideas of the up-andcoming IT experts,” explains Dr Saxe the HPA’s commit­
ment.
Getting to the bottom of developments
The experts of the HPA get to the bottom of the relevant
issues and developments in other areas, too –
sometimes in the true sense of the word. Take, for instance, the EU-sponsored project TIDE (Tidal River
Ulrich Baldauf
IT Strategist at the Hamburg Port Authority
»Everyone involved benefits from the lively dialogue between the port management
and the university. Subjects and issues are not only about how to further develop
the study programme, but also about how corporate structures can be optimised.«
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:11 Uhr
—Research Co-operations—
PROFESSOR Dr Nicole von Lieberman
Head of Tidal Elbe and Hydrology, Hamburg Port Authority »All estuaries are facing similar challenges posed by, for instance,
changed tidal activities and the resulting increase in sediments
transported by the rivers.«
Integrated management on an international level
The main results of the project are the regular scientific
exchange, the establishment of a network and the compilation of hydrological, morphological and biological
data that help to understand the system better and serve
as a basis for river-engineering measures. The dialogue
also helped to develop practical recommendations for
implementing a holistic estuary management. As such,
for instance, an app was developed for the staff of the
competent administrations and associations that can be
used to assess and avoid interference thresholds for
water birds.
According to Meine the results worked out jointly are a
step in the right direction towards an integrated management at an international level; more information on the
outcome of the expert dialogue is available at www.tidetoolbox.eu.
Every current is captured
In conjunction with the institute the HPA installed a
measurement pile at the Elbe mouth in March 2012,
which regularly supplies data relevant for the analysis
of water and sediment movements. This fixed measuring
platform is 17 metres high and weighs two tonnes. It
automatically collects data on sediment movements, the
current and the concentration of suspended particulate
matter in Neuenfelder Watt (Wadden Sea). Unlike other
measuring stations the pile is fitted with a wide range of
sensors. The results of the measurements are trans­
mitted to the server of the Hamburg Port Authority and
the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, where the data
are analysed. The insights gained about the dynamic
processes in the Tidal Elbe system will be incorporated
in the coastal monitoring system COSYNA.
On a more local level, the HPA is involved in the project
COSYNA (Coastal Observation System for Northern
and Arctic Seas), a measurement network in the coastal
areas of the North Sea and the Arctic Seas developed
by the Institute of Coastal Research at the HelmholtzZentrum Geesthacht.
Sponsoring research
The master study programme “IT Management and IT Consulting” (ITMC) of the Faculty of
Computer Science of the University of Hamburg combines theory and practice in an ideal manner. As a part of a six-week-long internship, students learn about entrepreneurial practices and
work on concrete developments and projects. As a sponsor partner the HPA, together with 22
other companies from Hamburg’s business community, supports the study programme. Annually, about 40 potential high performers gain their Master of Science in computer science upon
completion of the consecutive four-semester master degree course.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:12 Uhr
The Power of
the Future
Shipping must become cleaner. Not only environmental experts are demanding it.
From 2015 the new emission control regulations of the International Maritime Organization
(IMO) will apply. But what are the alternatives that actually work? Liquefied natural gas is
one option – an option that will be implemented in the port of Hamburg.
familiar to us on conditions that befit our times, i.e. sustainable and ecologically ideal conditions. Birke, who is
also in charge of developing the HPA’s environmental
strategy, is well aware of the conflict between good intentions and established habits: “Although we all know
the impact of climate change, few actually forego their
beloved overseas holidays, original tea from abroad,
cheap clothing from China, spices from the orient or lowcost entertainment electronics from the Far East for environmental reasons.”
In 2007 Secretary-General of the UN, Ban Ki Moon, said
that protecting the world’s climate was humanity’s greatest challenge. Climate change and environmental protection have been hot topics long before his speech in New
York. The number of laws and regulations is rising.
Governments and agencies have responded to concerns
by imposing increasingly stricter restrictions and lowering
permissible emission levels. And yet whilst in most industrialised countries air pollution levels as one source
of environmental degradation have declined, other nations continued to industrialise – without giving a thought
to preserving our natural resources.
Transport and logistics companies are facing the same
challenge. In the media the carmaking industry is leading
discussions on alternative propulsion technologies and
emissions reductions. Researchers have been trying to
replace conventional propulsion systems for many years.
After the much-hyped hybrid vehicles, it is now the electric
car that is at the forefront of discussions. Hydrogen fuel,
bio-diesel and ethanol as “alternative fuels” are less
popular. Carmakers are betting on vehicles powered by
natural gas or provide technical solutions that use vegetable oil as fuel. Apart from alternative types of propulsion, developers in this sector try to use new materials
in vehicle construction and minimise consumption through
intelligent engine technology.
Options to substitute fossil fuels offered by research and
development range from the use of alternative energy
sources to completely new types of propulsion, and they
encompass all areas of societal life. “When looking for
solutions to global climate problems, it is not the ‘eitheror’ principle that applies, but the ‘either-and-or’ principle,”
says Lutz Birke, Head of Corporate & Port Strategy at the
HPA.
The battle between good intentions and established
habits
The driving force behind all concepts and planning is to
find a solution of how to keep what has become dear and
Clean energy for the environment
The Hamburg Port Authority is promoting the use of environmentally friendly fuels. The coming
years will see the installation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities to supply ships in the port
of Hamburg. Simultaneously, eco-friendly energy concepts such as, for instance, shore power
supply are being worked on. By considering the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) in its schedule of
fees and charges, the HPA already offers financial incentives to ships with better environmental
performance: their port dues are lower.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:13 Uhr
— Power of the Future—
Lutz Birke
Head of Corporate & Port Strategy at the HPA
»We are in charge of creating the legal framework that
allows ships to bunker LNG in the port of Hamburg.
Installing and operating LNG supply infrastructure is the
responsibility of private business.«
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:18 Uhr
To transport LNG by ship, natural gas is liquefied
by cooling it to −160 °C. LNG tankers can load
160,000 tonnes of liquefied natural gas.
The first LNG terminal is coming
LNG is – all experts agree on that – an investment in
modern shipping not only for economic reasons, but for
eco-political reasons too. “So far, this energy source
has not played a prominent role in the German market.
Today, trade in liquefied natural gas accounts for around
10 per cent of the world’s energy trade – and the trend
is upward,” says Dr Thomas Tork, Senior Business
Development Manager LNG at The Linde Group. In order to realise this first small-scale LNG terminal, Linde
AG and Bomin, a subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls AG,
founded an independent company. The LNG terminal is
planned to be installed on the site housing the subsidiary of Marquard & Bahls, Oiltanking, in the area of the
port of Hamburg.
Particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions
must be reduced sharply
The approaches to reduce emissions in both shipping and
land transport are based on entirely different process
steps. Researchers are discussing alternative fuel options
as well as the deployment of particle filters or exhaust gas
recirculation systems. The aim is to significantly reduce
CO2 and SOx emissions – a vital aim for the port of Hamburg that is located right in heart of the city. By considering
the Environmental Ship Index (ESI) in its schedule of fees
and charges, the HPA already offers financial incentives
to ships with better environmental performance: their port
dues are lower. Projects that promote the use of external,
eco-friendly power sources for ships berthing in the port
(e.g. shore power) will be implemented in the coming
years.
Using LNG as ship fuel is a visionary solution, also with
regard to the requirements of the International Maritime
Organization (IMO), a UN specialised agency. With
effect from 1 January 2015, permissible IMO limits for
harmful emissions from ships applicable in the North
Sea and Baltic Sea as well as in the North American
emission control area will be decidedly lower, and urgent
action is required now. Compared with diesel-powered
engines, engines running on natural gas, e.g. LNG, reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by almost 80 per cent
and carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20 per cent. Sulphur dioxide and particulate matter emissions are almost zero. Besides the positive properties of this type
of fuel, studies and tests have revealed that engine
wear and tear is reduced as well.
The use of liquefied natural gas (LNG) has been advanced enormously. The positive result of a feasibility
study conducted in conjunction with Linde AG prompted
the port of Hamburg to expand its services by a LNG
fuel stop. “The HPA strives to reconcile business and
environmental protection. Supplying vessels with LNG
is a crucial competitive criterion for our port,” explains
Birke, who points out an important difference regarding
LNG: “We are in charge of creating the legal framework
that allows ships to bunker LNG in the port of Hamburg.
Installing and operating LNG supply infrastructure is the
responsibility of private business.”
Hamburg Port Authority
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However, the decision to install a LNG terminal in the
port of Hamburg is just a first step. For 2014 the HPA
is planning to put into operation a survey and depthmeasuring ship powered by LNG technology. That responsibility for the environment does not end at the
quay wall is proven by another project which the HPA
and the business community are jointly working on:
using LNG to power trucks.
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02.07.2013 15:04:18 Uhr
— Power of the Future—
Strict guidelines –
the power behind alternative ship fuels
The International Convention for the Prevention of
Pollution from Ships (MARPOL), compliance with
which is monitored by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), has been in force since 1983. The
IMO currently has 170 member states. Apart from
being involved in the facilitation of international maritime traffic, the IMO is responsible for measures to
improve the safety at sea and prevent marine pollution from ships.
As one measure, the organisation has established
Emission Controlled Areas (ECAs). Since 1 July 2010
the maximum sulphur content of fuel oils used by ships
travelling in the North Sea and Baltic Sea ECAs has
been limited to 1.0 per cent. After 1 January 2015 the
maximally permissible sulphur content will be 0.1 per
cent. The same limit applies inside the North American
ECA off the coast of the USA and Canada.
Existing
Possible future ECA
Source: greenport
Liquefied natural gas used as ship fuel offers both
ecological and economic benefits. LNG is sulphurfree and as it contains less carbon than bunker oil,
it also reduces CO 2 emissions from ships. Costwise, LNG may be attractive too as it will very likely
continue to be cheaper than marine diesel oil (MDO).
The difference in price has an impact on the return
on investments in ships travelling the ECA areas.
However if LNG is to become a staple in shipping,
infrastructure facilities to ensure a seamless LNG
supply chain must be available as required.
In order to meet the future emission limit requirements, experts consider the use of liquefied natural
gas (LNG) to power ships the best solution available
at the moment. Some ship owners are already using
this technology. For many years now, LNG suppliers
and infrastructure planners have been busy setting
up a functioning LNG supply chain.
Compared with diesel-powered ships, LNG-fuelled
ships emit almost 80 per cent less nitrogen oxide
and up to 20 per cent less carbon dioxide. Their
sulphur dioxide and particulate matter emissions
are almost zero. The IMO is currently working on
the “International Gas as Fuel (IGF) Code” that is
to replace the respective interim guidelines in
2014.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 17:16:59 Uhr
Get Ready to Click
The HPA’s “port monitor” is a new control station system that gets to the bottom of
port operations. Every movement, every construction site, every action in the port is
displayed down to the last detail on the basis of electronic chart data. In real time.
The mobile control device is a tablet PC.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:23 Uhr
—Port Monitor—
Podgaiski and his superior, Norbert Browarczyk, explain
the seemingly unusual activity with typical Hanseatic understatement. “This thing here is a quantum leap forward
in system technology,” says Browarczyk. The flat-as-aflounder, non-glossy silver PC the captain and navigator
is referring to is the mobile end of an innovative control
station system called port monitor. “We can call up on
the screen the entire port,” Browarczyk adds.
The man is surfing. Right in middle of the port of Hamburg.
But his is not a leisure activity; it’s his duty – official duty.
Juri Podgaiski is a member of the Harbour Master’s Office
team and as such holds the patent for surfing in the port,
so to speak. With a tablet PC in hand, which he is holding
at arm’s length like a display case in front of him, he is doing
what he has been assigned to do: ensuring the safe navigation and environmental performance of ships as well as
smooth vessel traffic in Europe’s second-largest port.
Hamburg Port Authority
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The system revolution facilitates the work routine of the
captains of the Harbour Master’s Office during their daily
control trips. Where once, before the port monitor came
into being, all information gathered during the control
trips was first noted down, then documented with a photo
camera and later, after the control trip, entered in the
system, today it’s a simple click on “save” and the current status information is displayed on all computers
linked up – including the screen of the navigator on duty
in the VTS. Taking account of current traffic conditions
on the waterway, the navigator will then determine the
best route for incoming vessels and radio the information
to the ship masters.
The port monitor is the new extended arm of the Vessel
Traffic Service Centre, the overarching control station
in charge of everything that moves on the waterways
of the port and the Lower Elbe. On the basis of georeferenced data the port monitor captures and transmits in real time all incidents and information that are
of relevance to smooth vessel traffic. The handy PC,
which depicts every nook and cranny of the port of
Hamburg as an electronic chart, is camera, messenger,
central information platform and communications medium in one.
It’s hard to believe that just a few months ago a deluge
of Excel lists, Word documents and a wall-sized magnetic
board at the VTS were needed to achieve this multifunctionality with conventional means.
Integrating individual systems into one
The key task of Baldauf and C1 WPS, a software
company, was to integrate the various individual systems into one new faster and improved system. Up until
the day the system started operations the operator on
duty in charge of controlling and steering all traffic flows
in the port had to merge the relevant data from the various individual systems – a task that required a lot of
experience and utmost concentration. Echo-sounding
data, data on vessel locations, berths, weather conditions, bridge heights, construction sites, planned diving
missions and many more individual components had to
be combined from different monitors and paper documents to provide a safe and smooth route tailored to
the incoming vessel and suited to overall traffic
conditions.
Researching the fundamentals of IT architecture
“The port monitor has been developed in close collaboration with Ulrich Baldauf,” Captain Browarczyk declares.
As part of the project AHOI, the navigators and the IT
strategist in conjunction with the University of Hamburg
set off to examine more closely the processes at the VTS
to lay the groundwork to develop the port monitor. Based
on these examinations the port monitor was then developed to become the productive control station platform
within the scope of the research project “Generic
Architecture for Control Stations” (GeneAL).
Relevance at a glance
It took less than two years to intelligently implement
the functions required of the new system. “Today,
each VTS operator can see on the monitor what is
relevant for him or her,” summarises Baldauf, in his
capacity as a project manager, one strong point of the
system. That way, the stations and persons in charge
will be informed within seconds about the conditions
and incidents on the waterways in the port of Hamburg
– mobile via tablet PC or stationary on the computer.
“If an approved diving mission is taking place, it will
be entered immediately and everyone will know that
at this particular place utmost attention is required,”
Browarczyk explains.
Although the port monitor facilitates many tasks for the
operators – the communicators between the VTS and
vessels calling at the port – no technology can replace
the expertise of the professionals at the VTS, who are
all captains holding a certificate of competence. When it
comes to assessing processes in the port, responding
to incidents and managing problems that may have an
impact on the safety and smooth traffic of maritime, inland and port vessels, sports boats and traditional shipping, experienced navigators are indispensable.
Researched, tried, deployed: the port monitor
The port monitor is a control station system to monitor the area of the port of Hamburg and its
Elbe approach channel, which has been developed by the HPA in conjunction with the Hamburgbased technology firm, C1 WPS. The concept and the prototypes of the port monitor were developed within the scope of the research project “Generic Architecture for Control Stations”
(GeneAL) supported by Innovationsstiftung Hamburg, a foundation under public law. The system possesses an interactive, user-friendly interface and has been in use since the autumn of
2012. Via the app “Mobile Port Monitor” and a tablet PC it can be deployed site-independent.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:27 Uhr
—Port Monitor—
No matter how convenient and easy-to-operate the port
monitor is, one should not forget: “All data and information stored are authoritative,” Podgaiski and Browarczyk
stress. And with this statement, the slight smile disappears from the faces of the two navigators. Because
they take their task to ensure the safety and the smooth
interaction of all traffic participants in the port of Hamburg very seriously – regardless of how often they go
surfing.
Juri Podgaiski
Navigator and member of the team at the Harbour Master’s Office
»The port monitor captures and transmits
all incidents and information relevant
to ensure smooth vessel traffic.«
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:34 Uhr
Germany’s first “congestion researcher”:
Professor Michael Schreckenberg
Michael Schreckenberg, born in Düsseldorf in 1956, studied theoretical physics at the University of
Cologne, where he earned his doctorate degree in static physics in 1985. In 1994 he transferred to the
University of Duisburg-Essen, where he was promoted to the rank of professor of “physics of transport and traffic” in 1997 – the first such professorship in Germany. As a “congestion researcher”
he gives lectures around the globe and advises companies and institutions.
»Improved information
can prevent 20 per cent
of all traffic hold-ups«
Hamburg Port Authority
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—Traffic Management—
The Psychology behind Traffic Jams
The new traffic management system of the HPA helps prevent congestion in the
port of Hamburg. But why is it that despite the many measures taken roads continue
to clog up? An interview with Germany’s first traffic congestion researcher,
Professor Michael Schreckenberg, about a mass phenomenon.
Can traffic jams be prevented? If yes, what are the
alternative route options?
Improved information and above all improved behaviour
of motorists could prevent between 10 and 20 per cent
of all jams. Unfortunately drivers are unaware of this and
nobody points it out to them. Sitting in the anonymity of
a vehicle makes it easier to ignore common courtesy.
Alternative routes are soon clogged up with cars, too.
We then speak of the so-called ping-pong effect: an alternative route is recommended, which after a while is
choked and the original route appears to be the better
choice again until it is clogged once more …
Professor Schreckenberg, we Germans are stuck in
traffic jams ever more often. Why?
The development of traffic in Germany is straightforward. Truck traffic is increasing and passenger car traffic
is decreasing. Above all, this is due to rising petrol prices and the demographic change. On top, our roadway
network and in particular bridges, the majority of which
was built in the sixties and seventies of the past century,
are old and will require substantial refurbishment. And
don’t forget motorists’ poor behaviour that causes many
(unnecessary) tailbacks. What is interesting, however,
is that it’s almost always individuals who cause congestion. Only, they are unaware of it as the jam will form
behind them and they won’t sit in it.
People do not only queue up for goods. Motorists
have been spotted waiting behind parking cars. Is a
jam a mass-psychological problem after all?
Jams are completely natural, nature is full of them. We
are used to queuing. Unfortunately, motorists tend to
occupy their minds with other things instead of watching
what’s happening around them, which can sometimes
lead to strange situations. Many drivers do not remember
details of their route at the end of their journey, in other
words, mentally they were not really present. This is potentially dangerous when traffic routing or traffic signage
changes: the driver fails to notice a new stop sign or the
new speed limit. All this has happened before.
What are the most common causes of traffic congestion
or crawling traffic?
If you number the reasons for congestion, overloading
will take the top of the list. Around two out of three jams
occur because roads are overcrowded. The rest is divided
more or less evenly between construction zones and
accidents. A small proportion is due to adverse weather
conditions. Hold-ups caused by heavy traffic always start
the same way: traffic density at junctions or uphill sections increases and the speed drops to between 10 and
30 kilometres per hour. If in this section a vehicle breaks
down, this will trigger a wave travelling backward at about
15 kilometres per hour and the jam will not dissipate for
a long time. If you get caught in such a “jam wave”, for
which there seems to be no apparent reason, you will
feel as if “the jam just popped up out of nowhere”.
The port of Hamburg is located right in the heart of the
city, which puts particular demands on the transport
infrastructure. 33,000 passenger cars and trucks have
to share the port’s major thoroughfares daily. Where,
do you think, should one start to alleviate the situation
in congestion-prone densely populated areas, for
instance?
Today, far over 50 per cent of people worldwide live in
cities, and the figure will soon climb to 60 per cent. We
will increasingly need to tackle the problem of mobility
in densely populated areas. Various approaches are
available here. Most try to cope with congestion by
imposing bans or congestion charges (city toll). Each
such measure however bears the risk of unwanted side
effects. Take, for instance, the once-lauded pedestrianised zones which today are the reason why inner cities
are deserted in the evening. Only where there is traffic,
there is life. Simply accept that fact. Compared with
other areas in the world, we are really well off. I was in
Trucks are commonly considered the main cause of
congestion. But who is really to blame: individual
vehicle traffic or freight traffic?
Principally, private traffic and freight traffic are completely different. They don’t really get along. Yet we let
them use the same roads. Separating them would be a
boon to both. We have so many technical options today;
unfortunately we hardly ever make use of them. Freight
traffic actually takes up a full lane on our autobahns,
which of course has a tremendous impact on traffic
flows. However, freight traffic is always pressed for
time. In the end, it is slow passenger cars, whose
drivers don’t care about all that and just idle along, that
are the real culprits.
Hamburg Port Authority
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02.07.2013 15:04:36 Uhr
São Paulo last year, the most congested city on earth.
After that you actually look forward to our traffic.
»Compared with the world’s most congested
areas traffic in Germany is actually something
to be happy about.«
What would be the impact on traffic if telematics systems were interlinked?
Traffic information will continuously improve and it will be
easier for motorists to make decisions. However, we still
lack reliable forecast systems. After all, I want to know
what’s going on when I arrive at a certain place and not,
what is happening there right now. Route recommendations must be tailored to the specific situation to prevent
additional congestion on alternative routes. This is a great
problem today, also with regard to the environmental
implications. Moreover, different types of drivers pursue
different strategies. For instance, there are those who
specifically approach congestion zones thinking that congestion alerts will deter others so that in the end they will
be the only ones travelling that route.
What was the worst jam you got caught in?
The worst traffic jam experience I have ever had was
years ago when I tried, on a Friday afternoon, to get to
Neuharlingersiel. First, a 70-kilometre tailback on the
A1 autobahn, then the complete closure of a section on
the A29 close to Oldenburg and finally a 3-kilometre jam
at night – which by then had fallen – at a construction
zone in Jever (!). And in the end the police (with blue
light flashing!) guided us to our holiday chalet. The land­
lord was, of course, asleep when we finally arrived.
What are the most successful measures to prevent
traffic jams?
The best potential lies in the drivers themselves because they are the ones causing congestion. Better
co-operation on our roads would certainly entail smoother traffic flows. In California autonomous driving has
been permitted since last year. Cars do everything
themselves, the responsibility however remains with the
driver. In Germany it will take a few more years until
legal clearance is given. By the way, what many people
don’t know is that Google is the absolute pioneer in this
field.
What’s your advice for the next time someone gets
stuck in a traffic jam?
The next jam is just a corner away. Be prepared for it and
don’t think of yourself only. We are all sitting in the same
boat (or rather: jam) because every one of us is responsible for what happens on our roads.
What is your favourite mode or means of transport?
Cars have the distinct disadvantage in that they do not
allow you to do anything but driving. The travel time is actually lost time. I love being able to work, read and write
during longer journeys. However, then you are also completely dependent on the respective means of transport.
Most recently I had to spend two extra hours on board an
ICE in no-man’s land because the brakes had jammed. If
something like that happens, there is nothing you can do.
You will miss your appointments or flights. One fellow passenger, who missed her flight to Dubai, was actually told
she could have travelled the night before.
Politics and logistics consider shifting traffic an option
to ease the strain on our roads. The aim is to give the
railway and waterways a greater role in transport concepts. How do you assess the effects of multi-modal
transport concepts on road traffic?
Nothing is more flexible than road traffic. Even if a traffic
jam lurks around every corner, in the end the situation will
be under your control. The railway and waterways certainly
are an option for “timetable traffic”, however for ad hoc
trips the road is more or less the only option. The freedom
of private traffic equally applies to freight traffic. After all,
the freedom to go to virtually any place at any time is one
– if not the biggest – achievement of our times.
A perfect companion:
DIVA gets you through the port without hick-ups
DIVA, short for “dynamic traffic volume information system in the port”, is the intelligent traffic
management system of the HPA. The IT-supported information system gathers all data on current traffic
movements on the port’s thoroughfares. Measuring points, which are installed at all the major junctions
in the port area, accurately capture traffic volumes, the type of vehicles and their speeds. The system
immediately analyses these data and transmits them to LED message boards located along the main
port approach roads, which keep motorists up-to-date so that they can act accordingly.
Hamburg Port Authority
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—CONTENTS—
—SHort ProFile—
tHe HPa
Interview Putting Things on the Right Track Simply Smart
A Fresh Breeze The Power of the Future
Get Ready to Click
The Psychology behind Traffic Jams
Short Profile
Impressum - Legal Notice
4
8
12
16
20
24
28
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With a total workforce of 1,800 employees, the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA), a commercially oriented institution under
public law, manages all duties related to the area of the port of Hamburg. Among these duties are port planning and port
development, maintenance of the port infrastructure, guaranteeing the required fairway depths as well as ensuring the
navigational safety of ships. The institution is in charge of 313 km of rail tracks, 143 bridges, 124 km of public roadways
and 50 km of quay walls and waterfront walls, as well as tunnels, locks and lighthouses.
The HPA offers its customers a universal port 120 km inland from the open sea with competitive site advantages. It is the
owner of most of the port land and leases it out to enterprises of the port industry on a long-term basis. The management
of the HPA takes care to strike a balance between ecology and economy in everything they do. The port has excellent
hinterland connections, whereby the modal-split share of cargo moved by rail and inland waterway carriers is growing.
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Published by
Hamburg Port Authority, AöR
Neuer Wandrahm 4
20457 Hamburg
Phone +49 (0)40 42847-0
Fax + 49 (0)40 42847-2325
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hamburg-port-authority.de
Concept, text and design
3F Kommunikation
Photography credits
Gregor Schläger
©iStockphoto.com/sack
©iStockphoto.com/MsLightBox
Satellite photo: © albedo39 Satellitenbildwerkstatt/USGS
Michael Berendt
© Copyright by
Hamburg Port Authority, AöR
June 2013
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Hamburg Port Authority
Neuer Wandrahm 4
20457 Hamburg
Germany
Telephone +49 (0)40 42847-0
www.hamburg-port-authority.de
REPORT
The Smart Port
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