Further dredging of the Elbe river to Hamburg clears last-but-one hurdle

However, start of the planned deepening and widening work on the navigation channel is still dependent on two environmental conditions: finding an alternative site to replant a rare indigenous plant species - hemloch water droplet - growing along the riverbank, and submission of additional data on how salinity levels in the river would be affected over the course of a year.

Port of Hamburg officials gave a mixed reaction to the decision, welcoming the approval in principle but fearing the conditions mean it could still be up to two years before works can begin.

Dredging will be carried out by a depth of 1.5 m on average, thereby increasing by some 1,900teu the size of containerships able to access the port, Port of Hamburg spokesman Bengt van Beuningen told Seatrade Maritime News.

Currently containerships up to 20,000 teu can and do call the port, he explained, but typically carrying only around 6,000 -7,000 teu of laden boxes after having already dropped off at other Northern Range ports. Vessels with draught of up to 12.8 m can call Port of Hamburg anytime, he added, or with up to 15.1 m when entering on a flood tide and 13.8 m leaving on an ebb.

Besides increasing water depth the dredging works will also widen the navigation channel along the Elbe. Currently there is a bottleneck outside the port where vessels are not allowed to pass if their combined beam exceeds 50 m, and widening will effectively remove this prohibition by allowing nearly all ships to pass each other.

Navigational constraints of the outer Elbe were highlighted last February when the passing 19,000 teu CSCL Indian Ocean was deliberately grounded on a sandbank after an engine failure, later to be assisted off by a number of tugs (pictured).