travel guIde - Hhla

travel guIde
A journey through the world of hAMBurger hAfen und logIStIK
AKtIengeSellSchAft
ShoeS in tranSit
the global journey of a container full of shoes from china to Austria.
Coal bulkerS and ore trainS
hansaport supplies raw materials to the power stations and steelworks of northern germany.
high-teCh Climate proteCtion
hhlA container terminal Altenwerder reduces its co 2 emissions.

Your travel guide
dear Sir or Madam
welcome to our travel guide! we look
forward to taking you on an exciting
and inspiring journey – through our
company and into the world of logistics.
As one of europe's leading
companies in the maritime logistics
sector we are a driving force behind
global trade. the powerful resurgence
of the export trade in Asia and South
America as well as in many of the economies
of central and eastern europe
prompted a strong recovery in handling
and transport demand at the Port of
hamburg. And this, in turn, has led to
strong demand for our services along
the entire transport chain.
with new megaship berths and
the high-tech container rail terminals,
our company is well equipped to support
the continuing growth in world
trade. the systematic expansion of
our transport network for the european
hinterland is already leading the way
into the future of goods transportation:
from road to rail – eco-friendly and economical.
Intelligent processes are an essential
element in this development.
they push forward every aspect of
what we call the “industrialisation of the
transport chain” from the ports to the
hinterland. we combine seaport and inland
terminals that incorporate cutting
edge technologies with pioneering new
rail transport systems. with a seamless
network for transporting goods for the
“last mile” to and from the inland terminals,
we are ultimately building an integrated
cargo transportation system.
every interface, route and operator is
optimally linked into the process chains
and information can therefore flow freely
throughout the entire network.
Accompany a container packed
with shoes on its 21,000-km journey
from the manufacturer in the chinese
city of wenzhou to a shoe store in
Vienna's city centre. join us on a journey
into tomorrow's world and discover
how innovative concepts and technological
progress are leading the way
to greater efficiency, sustainability and
climate protection and helping to define
the future of the logistics sector.
hhlA has a history stretching
back 125 years. As a company we are
always on the move, energising the
flows of global trade in europe both today
and in the future. we never forget
that goods are travellers, too, and deserve
our full attention. I wish you bon
voyage – we look forward to seeing you
again in the Port of hamburg.
Klaus-dieter Peters
chairman of the executive Board
hamburger hafen und logistik Ag
hhla travel guide 3

ContentS
3 Your travel guide
6 the logiStiCS hub
the Port of hamburg is the beating heart of hhlA. A map shows how and
where the company manages global flows of goods.
8 well ConneCted
An efficient network of steel rails and trains connects german seaports
with central and eastern europe, reducing the burden of goods traffic on
the roads.
10 ShoeS in tranSit
how the new collection of shoe retailer deichmann travels from china to
Vienna – the diary of a voyage around the world.
18 a ConStant Stream of ContainerS
the hub system or the industrialisation of the transport chain – a journey
into the not-so-distant future.
20 Coal bulkerS and ore trainS
how are vast quantities of coal and ore, destined for the power stations
and steelworks of northern germany, transferred from ship to train?
22 high-teCh Climate proteCtion
electrification, new technologies and electricity from renewable resources
reduce the carbon footprint of the hhlA container terminal Alterwerder.
24 planning and programming
controlling software for port logistics ensures that the packaging units of
globalised trade are handled with maximum efficiency.
26 old briCkS, new reSidentS
how hhlA is transforming the old warehouses of hamburg's historic
Speicherstadt district into desirable workplaces for designers, artists and
media companies.
28 innovationS of YeSterdaY and todaY
hhlA has been a pioneer in the development of modern port technologies
for 125 years and a model for terminal operators worldwide.
30 travel phraSe book
31 imprint
4 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 5

trAVel centre
the logiStiCS hub
The Port of Hamburg is a converging point for flows of goods from every corner of the world. Facilities operated
by HHLA are distributed throughout the port area offering its customers a broad range of logistics services.
Finkenwerder Straße
Othmarschen
NORTH SEA
Quelle: hamburg Port Authority
ELBE
WALTERSHOFER HAFEN
Waltersh o f
Straße
Waltershofer
7
Ottensen
Elbchaussee
BURCHARDKAI
Finken
Waltershofer Damm
Kaistraße
Altenwerder Hauptdeich Am Ballinkai
KÖHLBRAND
SANDAUHAFEN
Damm
Altenwerder
Palmaille
Große Elbstr.
Köhlbranddeich
CUSTOMS
RETHE
Luise-
VORHAFEN
Schroeder-
CUSTOMS Nippoldstraße
werder
Altenwerder Hauptstraße
Straße
ALTONA
RAILWAY STATION
FISCHMARKT
HANSAPORT
KÖHLBRAND
BRIDGE
Altona
FISCH-
AUKTIONS-
HALLE
CRUISE
CENTER II
TOLLERORT
Str.
St. Pau l i
St. Pauli Hafenstr.
Steinw erder
KAISER-WILHELM-HAFEN
ROSSHAFEN
Roßweg
SCHUPPEN
71 70
Köhlbrandbrücke
ELLERHOLZHAFEN
SCHUPPEN
84
Simon von Utrecht Str.
REEPERBAHN
ST. PAULI
LANDUNGSBRÜCKEN
82
OLD ELBE
TUNNEL
Breslauer Str.
Neustadt
Alts tadt
G r a s b r ook
Container handling
75
Bulk cargo handling
Altenwerder
ALTENWERDER
RETHE
BRIDGE
4
Fruit logistics
Real Estate
Wilhelm sburg
Vehicle logistics (RoRo)
Port area
RETHE
69
72
CUSTOMS
SCHUPPEN
74
77
SCHUPPEN
81
Buda pester Straße
Hohe S chaar
73
Buchheisterstraße
Damm
Neuhöfer
Reiherdamm
SCHUPPEN
80
NORDERELBE
REIHERSTIEG
Roßdamm
CUSTOMS
Ellerholzdamm
Hohe-Schaar-Straße
Holstenwall
REIHERSTIEG
ST. MICHAEL’S
CHURCH (MICHEL)
Vorsetzen
SPORTHAFEN
Reiherstieg-
Hauptdeich
DOWNTOWN
SCHUPPEN
65
Neuhöfer Straße
HAMBURG
6 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 7
INNER
ALSTER
Willy-Brandt-Straße
Sandtorkai
Lombardbrücke
Bei den Mühren
SPEICHERSTADT
63
SCHUPPEN
64
62
61
60
59
CITY HALL
HAFENCITY
Gr. Grasbrook
Am Sandtorpark
Osakaallee
HANSAHAFEN
Mengestraße
Veddeler Damm
SPREEHAFEN
Brooktorkai
Shanghaiallee
Harburger Chaussee
Überseeallee
CRUISE CENTER I
KEY
SCHUPPEN
52
BEI ST. ANNEN:
HHLA HQ
O’SWALDKAI
53
51
50
48
37
PORT
MUSEUM
Contract logistics
Cruise terminal
CENTRAL STATION
Neuenfelder
SCHUPPEN
29
Straße
Versmannstr.
28
St. Georg
4
Spaldingstraße
Nordkanalstraße
Kloster tor
ÜBERSEE-
ZENTRUM
SCHUPPEN
D
34
SCHUPPEN
F
G
brücke
Dessauer Str. Sachsen-
27
Schumacherwerder
Am Saalehafen
City area
CUSTOMS
CUSTOMS
252
26
25
BALLINSTADT
HHLA facilities
Niedergeorgswerder Deich
Amsinckstraße
ELBE BRIDGES
CUSTOMS
hhla Container Segment
where everything revolves around containers
Shipping lanes and railway lines converge and link up at hhlA container
terminals to form efficient eco-friendly transport chains. the three high per-
formance terminals Altenwerder, Burchardkai and tollerort make the Port of
hamburg one of the most important container hubs in the world. technical
innovations and automated workflows set standards for productivity that are
also an international benchmark. In addition, hhlA is the operator of container
terminal odessa (ukraine), a leading container handling facility in the
rapidly growing region around the Black Sea. Service companies complete
the range of products serving every aspect of the container business.
hhla logiStiCS Segment
know-how for the logistics chain
the logistics segment incorporates a broad spectrum of services: consulting,
special cargo handling and contract logistics. unikai lagerei und Spedition,
for example, is the Port of hamburg's vehicle logistics expert. frucht- und
Kühlzentrum is the german market leader in handling bananas and other fruit
while ulrich Stein gmbh offers essential services for fruit importers. through
hansaport, hhlA has a stake in germany's largest ore and coal terminal.
hhlA logistics stands for high-quality logistics solutions and hPc hamburg
Port consulting, with its subsidiaries uniconsult and hPtI, successfully markets
hhlA's expertise in port technology and project development around
the world.

trAVel routeS
well ConneCted
With the expansion of its inland terminals and the operation of block train connections to the European hinterland,
HHLA organises the flow of goods between the dynamic markets of central and eastern Europe and the coastal
ports. This efficient transportation network is flexible and reduces the burden of truck traffic on the roads.
Antwerp
Brussels
NOR TH SEA
Amsterdam
Rotterdam
Wörth
Bremerhaven
Dortmund
Cologne
Frankfurt/
Main
Kornwestheim
Basle Niederglatt
Frenkendorf
Zurich
SWITZERLAND
Mannheim
Milan
Wolfurt
Bremen
HAMBURG
GERMANY
Ulm Augsburg
Leipzig
Bamberg
Nuremberg
Munich
Venice
Copenhagen
Berlin
Regensburg
Salzburg
Riesa
Pilsen
Enns Vienna
Koper
Malmo
Prague
CZECH REPUBLIC
AUSTRIA
SLOVENIA
Zagreb
Zlin/Iipa
BALTIC SEA
Poznan
Wroclaw
Gdansk
Ostrava
Gliwice
SLOVAKIA
Budapest
Mława
Dunajska Streda
POLAND
HUNGARY
Kaliningrad
Kattowice
8 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 9
Warsaw
Košice
Malaszewicze
LITHUANIA
Sestokai
Vilnius
hhla intermodal Segment
network for europe
minal Minsk network. while Intermodal companies provide highly efficient rail con-
nections between the ports of northern europe and their hinterland, a growing
number BELARUS of inland terminals offer the high quality of maritime logistics to mar-
MOLDOVA
Chisinau
Kiev
Odessa
RUSSIA
hhlA Intermodal operates a comprehensive container transportation and ter-
kets further inland. Metrans, the market leader, connects not only the czech
republic but also Slovakia, hungary and Slovenia with german seaports. Pol-
zug Intermodal puts its focus on Poland and the cIS nations. tfg transfracht
is the market leader in germany and also serves Switzerland and Austria. the
container freight forwarder ctd operates local deliveries close to major german
cities as well as long distance transports to every corner of europe.
keY ctd container-transport-dienst Metrans
tfg transfracht
Polzug
UKRAINE
terminal / depot / office
hhlA Seaport terminal

gloBAl trAVel
ShoeS in
tranSit
More than 21,000 kilometres separate Ningbo on the Chinese coast
and Austria's capital Vienna. This is the story of how Europe's largest
shoe retailer Deichmann sends its latest shoe collection on a voyage by
sea and rail to one of its many stores – and the central roles played by
Hamburg's Container Terminal Burchardkai and the container trains operated
by HHLA subsidiary Metrans. It is the diary of the container CMAU
146090-0.
ningbo, China, 7 november, 11:30 a.m.
the bright blue side of the christophe
colomb, owned by french shipping
company cMA cgM, towers above
the quay at the chinese port of ning-
bo. At nearly 366 metres in length and
with a beam of 51 metres, this giant is
one of the largest container ships in the
world. the last box of goods for europe
has just been loaded – including
container cMAu 146090-0, packed
to the brim with, among other things,
the latest collection of men’s, women’s
and children’s shoes for the deichmann
store at Mariahilferstraße 41 in
Vienna. europe’s largest shoe retailer,
deichmann, manufactures its shoes
all over the world and has a major production
facility in the city of wenzhou,
china. Almost as soon as the deichmann
shoes had rolled off the production
line and been packed, container
cMAu 146090-0 was transported from
wenzhou to ningbo – more than 200
kilometres away – where it was loaded
onto the christophe colomb. container
ships such as the christophe colomb
are crucial to global trade, carrying
heavy loads along fixed routes to tight
schedules. In 2010 cMA cgM and
Maersk set up a new liner service, the
french Asia line 5 (fAl 5/Ae8), linking
Asia’s fast-growing economies with
northern europe. the service is operated
by megaships with a capacity of up
to 14,000 standard containers (teu).
Suez Canal, 28 november, 0:57 a.m. At
a speed of around 7.5 knots, the christophe
colomb forges its way down
egypt’s Suez canal. It is the world’s
most important shipping route and cuts
a huge slice off the long journey from
Asia to europe which would otherwise
involve taking the route around Africa
and the cape of good hope.
hamburg, Container terminal burchardkai,
29 november, 8:00 a.m. on
the monitor in his office at the container
terminal Burchardkai (ctB), hhlA
shipplanner Sven Merzlanovits keeps
a watchful eye on all the containers on
the christophe colomb. they are cleverly
stacked in such a way that they
can be lifted off the ship in le havre,
rotterdam and hamburg without wasting
any time through restacking. the
containers destined for hamburg are
highlighted blue and include container
cMAu 146090-0, which holds some
5,000 pairs of shoes. “of course, ships
with a capacity of over 14,000 standard
boxes pose a particular challenge for
the mighty container ship cMA cgM christophe
colomb – 366 metres long and with
a beam of 51 metres – preparing to dock at
the hhlA container terminal Burchardkai in
hamburg.
the shipping companies and terminal
operators,” explains Merzlanovits.
long before the christophe colomb
reaches hamburg, the qualified industrial
engineer starts working with cMA
cgM on the logistics of discharging
and loading the containers at hhlA’s
terminal. these days, transport chains
are planned in minute detail, carefully
coordinated and finely tuned.
from wenzhou to
hamburg
deichmann – europe’s largest shoe
retailer – manufactures many of its shoes
in the city of wenzhou in china. there,
the shoes are packed in containers and
transported to ningbo by rail – more than
200 kilometres away – where they are
loaded onto a giant container ship and
set sail on their 20,000-km sea voyage to
europe. the Asia to europe service fAl
5/Ae8 operated by the shipping companies
cMA cgM and Maersk completes
the voyage in approx. five weeks.
10 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 11
Hamburg
Rotterdam
Le Havre
Europe
Africa
sea route
railway
Suez Canal
Hamburg
Le Havre
Rotterdam
Asia
Port Kelang
Shanghai
Ningbo
Wenzhou
Yantian
Tanjung Pelepas

le havre, 7 december, 6:00 a.m. fol-
lowing a stop-off at the french port of
le havre, the christophe colomb casts
off from the quay wall and Merzlanovits
starts working out the final details for
the handling process in hamburg. At
the same time, he plans the loading of
the ship at the hanseatic port. his plans
have to take into account stowing instructions
from the shipping company
cMA cgM. the ship’s planner uses
planning software to work out on his
computer screen exactly where each
container has to be stacked on the ship
– the maritime transport chain’s answer
to the game tetris. Meanwhile, the responsible
shift manager at Burchardkai
calculates the optimum number of container
gantry cranes to use.
hamburg, burchardkai, 10 december,
8:45 a.m. tugs help the christophe
colomb to dock at the new berth
at Burchardkai. A gigantic, carefully
coordinated handling apparatus
gears up, ready for action:
crane operators, crane supervisors,
checkers and lashers – who secure
(lash) and release containers – all prepare
to work on the giant container
ship. In the control centre at Burchardkai,
the shift manager, controllers and
online planners all start their jobs at the
computer screens. At the same time,
hhlA’s straddle carrier drivers climb
into their 15-metre-high vehicles at the
terminal.
burchardkai, 9:00 a.m. Shipplanner
Merzlanovits climbs up the gangway to
the christophe colomb. together with
first officer julien rodrigues genest,
he checks whether the proposed stowage
plan can be implemented. About
30 minutes later, Merzlanovits whizzes
back to the terminal building. the
handling process begins.
burchardkai, 12:14 p.m. Sleet batters
against the windows of the crane’s
glass cabin. the steel legs of container
gantry crane no. 28 tower 49 metres
above the quay and the 68-metre-long
booms have been extended. “we have
to discharge and load thousands of
containers here today,” says crane ope-
Pulling the strings
mr merzlanovits, what exactly does a
shipplanner do?
As soon as we receive data about the
cargo along with stowage instructions
from the shipping companies, we draft
a stowage plan for the container ship
with the help of our modern planning
software. At the same time, we have
to optimise the logistics processes at
the container terminal itself.
what does that mean specifically?
for instance, we ensure that the uppermost
container on a stack is the
the steel boxes are discharged by container
gantry cranes and deposited on the quay.
Straddle carriers transport them from there
to the storage area.
Sven merzlanovits, shipplanner at the hhla Container terminal burchardkai
(Ctb), talked to us about the art of stacking brightly coloured steel boxes to
perfection and the networking of port operations.
first one that needs to be transported
to the ship and loaded, rather than
the one right at the bottom. that allows
us to prevent time-consuming
restacking manoeuvres.
So are you the man who pulls the
strings at the terminal?
we shipplanners always have to think
and work with a view to the whole.
we are in personal contact with many
other players, such as shipping companies,
ships’ crews, shipping agents
and even the harbour police.
A long-legged straddle carrier setting down a container at a precisely pre-defined position at Burchardkai.
rator Soenke greve. he is on the early
shift, driving one of seven container
gantry cranes being used to process
the christophe colomb’s cargo since
9:00 a.m. Precision is crucial. the
megaship is due to leave hamburg
again the very next day.
burchardkai, 12:15 p.m. greve pushes
the small joystick in front of him
forward and the cabin slowly glides
along the boom, passing over a mountain
of steel containers. greve’s container
gantry crane can lift four standard
containers at once – a record-breaking
total weight of 120 tonnes. to cope with
the latest generation of container megaships,
hhlA has not only enlarged the
berths at Burchardkai but also invested
in europe’s most high-performance
container gantry cranes.
burchardkai, 12:16 p.m. A small computer
screen in the crane’s cabin tells
greve which of the containers he has
to lift off the deck of the christophe
colomb. the crane driver looks through
a window in the floor of the cabin,
slowly lowers the spreader and locks
on to container cMAu 146090-0 in bay
57 of the christophe colomb. there is
a muffled sound. the box is heaved
up off the pile. If the crane supervisor
gives him the green light, greve can set
the container down on the quayside.
then he can return to pick up the next
box and the process starts again.
burchardkai, 12:16 p.m. Several hundred
metres away, process controller-
Manfred fuß is in the control centre,
overseeing the unloading of container
cMAu 146090-0. once greve has set
the box down on the quayside, it flashes
on the surveillance monitor. hhlA
has invested in a new integrated terminal
operating system at Burchardkai
known as ItS. As well as enabling
staff to monitor handling in real time,
it steers the automatic stacking of the
containers in the modern block storage
facility at the terminal. ItS ensures that
all the systems involved in container
handling can be optimally linked together
and controlled. from his desk,
Manfred fuß works closely with the
online planners during each ship handling
project. the online planners ensure
that the container gantry cranes
are used efficiently to process the ship’s
cargo. thousands of containers have
to be discharged and loaded without
the host of cranes and terminal vehicles
impeding each other’s work.
12 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 13

A rail gantry crane loads and unloads container trains at the hhlA container terminal Burchardkai. these trains can be up to 700 metres long
and transport a maximum of 92 standard containers via a shuttle service between the port and the hinterland.
Hamburg
Magdeburg
Wittenberge
Decín
railway
road
Dresden
Prague
Vienna
Dunajská Streda
from hamburg to
Vienna
Bratislava
route taken by deichmann shoes from
the Port of hamburg to the retail store
in Vienna.
burchardkai, 12:17 p.m. As soon as the
box was set down on the quayside, ulf
niekrenz automatically received a transport
job order. he drives a 60-tonne
straddle carrier to container gantry crane
no. 28 to pick up the box.
burchardkai, 12:20 p.m. niekrenz deposits
container cMAu 146090-0 in the
drop-off lane of the block storage area.
5,000 pairs of shoes for the deichmann
stores in Austria have completed the
first crucial stage of their journey to the
european hinterland. computer-controlled
cranes at the fully automated
yard sort the container into the ideal interim
storage position prior to continue
its journey.
hamburg, burchardkai, 11 december
2010, 10:50 a.m. Metrans train 41316
from Prague has arrived on time for its
five-hour slot in siding 12 of the container
rail terminal at Burchardkai. on the
second floor of the blue, red and grey
main building at the hhlA container
terminal Burchardkai (ctB), there is a
flurry of activity in the rail cargo handling
control centre. “we’ll pack it to the
gunwales with 60 boxes,” proclaims a
voice from somewhere in the cramped
room, which is full of monitors, walkietalkies,
phones and a large control
screen. Bernd lentfer, head of hinterland
operating Administration, smiles:
“the shuttle services operated by Metrans
are easy to plan. All the incoming
and outgoing slots are almost always
full.” the “60 boxes” – half 40-foot and
half 20-foot containers – add up to a
total of 92 teu, the global unit of measurement
based on the standard 20-foot
container. with this load, today’s train
to Prague is fully booked.
burchardkai, 11:25 a.m. work is well
under way at siding 12, accompanied
by light snow flurries. ten straddle carriers
sprint back and forth between the
imposing block storage area’s collection
points and the elongated container
rail terminal. they have to bring
the brightly coloured steel containers
exactly into position ready to be transferred
to the train. like the platforms
at many passenger stations with highspeed
services, the sidings are divided
into sections A to f to aid positioning.
the key is used by the It system and the
control centre staff to organise the discharging
and loading of the train as
smoothly as possible in close contact
with the straddle carrier drivers. this
also ensures optimum workflow for
the drivers of the rail-mounted gantry
cranes huge cranes which span several
sidings.
crane operators, like this one at the inland
terminal operated by hhlA subsidiary
Metrans in Prague, need a good eye and
sure touch.
burchardkai, 2:31 p.m. the process is
running more or less perfectly today.
Burchardkai alone dispatches 32 trains
every day, so thorough preparations are
needed to ensure that everything runs
like clockwork. Sönke Volkmer, managing
director of Metrans germany, organises
the whole process. he coordinates
the cooperation between the shipping
company, customs, rail operator,
Burchardkai, deichmann and Metrans
in hamburg, Prague and dunajská
Streda, Slovakia. he has a assigned
coordinator for each container terminal
in hamburg. these coordinators were
responsible for organising the processes
associated with the 1,781 Metrans train
services which linked hamburg with
Prague in 2010. last year, Metrans
achieved record capacity utilisation of
almost 100 per cent on the hamburg–
Prague route. Volkmer is full of praise
In 2010, the shuttle train operator Metrans achieved a record capacity utilisation of nearly 100 per cent on its hamburg–Prague route.
14 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 15

for the shoe retailer: “As far as we’re
concerned, deichmann is an exemplary
partner.” the chain’s logistics philosophy
complements the Metrans concept
perfectly. At 2:31 p.m., a green light flashes
up on the surveillance monitor:
container cMAu 146090-0 has been
loaded on carriage 33544960171-5 in
section A.
burchardkai, 3:48 p.m. the giant train –
more than 600 metres in length – slowly
pulls away. At this moment, the Metrans
dispatchers in Prague and deichmann
simultaneously receive digital notification
that the team at Burchardkai has
once again done its job to perfection.
ˇ ˇ
decín, rail freight terminal, 12 december
2010, 6:10 a.m. despite difficult
weather conditions, the journey via
Magdeburg and dresden went smooth- ˇ ˇ
ly. At 6:00 a.m. the train stops in decín
as the driver and chief guard ˇ ˇ reach the
end of their shifts. decín is the first
czech town beyond the german spa
town of Bad Schandau on the river
elbe. Metrans trains are among the
most frequent visitors to this ruggedly
czech republic’s leading trade partner.
75 per cent of this trade is conducted
by rail – and the majority is handled by
Metrans.
the cargo travels by rail as far as dunajská
prague, 12 december 2010, 8:57 a.m.
the weather is no better in Prague: it
is still snowing lightly when Metrans
train 41315 arrives at one of europe’s
Streda, Slovakia.
largest handling facilities. the terminal
has a capacity of 15,000 containers
and its railway sidings are spread over
a large area, allowing ten trains to be
picturesque stretch of track that runs processed at once. All the workflows in
directly alongside the river. with their the czech capital have been carefully
solid rows of containers, they are easily planned in advance as well. when the
identifiable from quite a distance. Me- train comes to a halt on Monday morntrans
has its own rolling stock and uses ing, a feeder train is already waiting
a sophisticated logistics system that on the adjacent track. At 12:26 a.m., it
utilises capacity to the full. this means will leave for dunajská Streda, Slova-
the company can pack containers more kia – some 380 km away. the contai-
tightly and run fuller trains than its comners are transhipped directly from train
petitors. the rail company transported to train using a rail-mounted gantry
more than 160,000 containers on the crane, ensuring a highly efficient and
deichmann's distribution centre (top left) is located next to the Metrans terminal in dunajská Streda, Slovakia.
hamburg–Prague route in 2010, easily
exceeding its previous record set just
cost-effective connection.
two years earlier in 2008. germany ac- dunajská Streda, 13 december 2010,
counts for 31 per cent of exports and 9:11 a.m. Smart and tidy, the newest
28 per cent of imports, making it the Metrans terminal is located outside the old town near the danube in the triangle vienna, Schenker site, 14 december tor of the Slovakian Metrans subsidiary,
formed by Vienna, Budapest and Bra- 2010, 1:45 p.m. deichmann uses its explains: “we offer a special standard
tislava. An exemplary terminal layout own distribution centre at the Schenker of quality with our all-inclusive service.”
was used for the new building, which site at Albern harbour in Vienna to ca- this includes organising transportation
“we don’t do can’t do.”
was constructed on a green field site.
the facility has space for 25,000 conter
for the high demand in the Austrian
capital. Metrans has yet another role to
to Vienna, of course. A container with
a shipment of shoes bound for Vienna
bernd lentfer, head of hinterland operating administration, and his team
tainers and the generous area surroun- play here. Peter Kiss, managing direc- is loaded up at the distribution centre
handle up to 32 trains every day at burchardkai.
ding the sidings allows several block
and dispatched at 11:06 a.m. By 1:45
trains to be processed at the same
p.m., it has reached the warehouse at
how do you cope with handling an around the clock and ensure that they
time. this terminal even grew during the
gottfried-Schenker-Straße 1. now it is
average of 30,000 containers per are processed on time.
recent crisis. In April 2009, deichmann
just a few kilometres to the five stores
month at the burchardkai rail termi- how much time do you have to pro-
opened a new distribution centre di-
in Vienna.
nal?cess
each train?
rectly at the terminal. now, more than
I am the intermediary between the our slot plan gives us a time window
15 per cent of all shoes sold by deich- the shoes from china reach their destina- vienna, mariahilferstraße 41, 15 decem-
customer – that is the train operator of five hours per train. So we are able
mann in europe – 21 million in 2010 – tion in Vienna's city centre.
ber 2010, 8:12 a.m. At the large deich-
– and our own operating administra- to process 32 trains each day at the
pass through this site. 5,000 of them
mann store in one of Vienna’s historical
tion, which actually loads and unloads rail terminal – even on public holidays.
are in the box labelled cMAu 146090-0,
shopping districts, the 21,000- kilometre
the trains. we exchange data with the we even try to be hyper-punctual.
which arrives at the terminal on this
journey from china comes to an end.
train operators using hABIS, the port why?
wintry Monday morning. from the train,
the shelves are being restocked for the
railway operating and information Because then we can process special
the shoe boxes are taken straight to
final phase of the christmas rush. It has
system. this means I send and re- trains as well as the regular trains. our
the distribution centre, where they are
been exactly 37 days, 20 hours and 42
ceive shipping data for the trains motto is: we don't do can't do.
divided up into consignments for the
minutes since the christophe colomb
various Austrian stores.
set sail from ningbo.
16 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 17

tIMe trAVel – Into the future
a ConStant Stream
of ContainerS
With its intelligent concept for transportation from the quayside to customers in Europe’s hinterland, HHLA and
their rail operators Metrans, Polzug and Transfracht are leading the way for the future of European container traffic.
We also call it “the industrialisation of the transport chain”.
hhlA subsidiary Metrans organises standardised transport chains between seaports and the
hinterland combining the advantages of rail and road. the hhlA container terminal Altenwerder
is both a starting point and a destination.
the advent of bits and bytes, the digitalisation
of analogue media has radically
changed the world. however,
the general public is less aware of the
“industrialisation” of cargo transport
brought about by the humble container.
As a globally standardised unit,
it opened the way to building a simplified,
standardised and automated
transport chain. By significantly boosting
efficiency and drastically reducing
transport costs, it has been the major
driving force behind the current pace of
globalisation.
the process of industrialisation
is already at an advanced stage in maritime
logistics, with container megaships
and increasingly automated
terminals like the hhlA container terminal
Altenwerder. overland transport,
however, generally still has a long way
to go. this is particularly true for long
distance transportation of containers:
in this sector the rail system offers
many advantages over road haulage
but these are neglected by far too many
companies. And this is a mistake. “railways
can transport large quantities of
cargo reliably over long distances,”
says Peter Plewa, one of the two managing
directors at hhlA Intermodal.
hhlA’s subsidiary Metrans shows that
it doesn’t need to be this way. Its intermodal
transport concept combines
road and rail allowing Metrans to organise
standardised transport chains between
the seaport and the hinterland.
end-to-end information chains form a
vital part of this system – something
which is still far from standard in transport
logistics.
equally important are largescale
inland terminals which function
as hubs and the organisation of longdistance
transportation via regular
shuttle trains. every day, as many as
five pairs of shuttle trains link the hamburg
container terminals with the major
inland terminal in Prague. once there,
the goods can be shipped to the czech
republic, Slovakia and hungary by direct
trains or trucks. the Prague terminal
also serves as a buffer or temporary
storage facility for goods flows.
It is a successful system, which
hhlA Intermodal is using as a model for
the expansion of its network in Poland.
It will open a new inland terminal this
summer in the Polish town of Katowice.
It is Poland's first privately financed
and simultaneously publicly-operated,
customer-neutral terminal and meets
stringent european standards for in-
At Buchardkai, rail gantry cranes place
containers on block trains, which commute
several times daily between the port and the
container terminals in the hinterland.
termodal transport. In 2011 Polzug will
open a new gateway terminal in Poznan.
like the terminals in Prague or dunajská
Streda, Slovakia, this facility will
act as a hub. Shuttle trains take containers
from the ports to Poznan. there
they are transferred to trucks or feeder
trains destined for terminals, such as
Katowice, in the hinterland.
“the next stage is to apply this
system to the german, Austrian and
Swiss markets, which are very important
to the Port of hamburg,” says
harald rotter, Plewa's co-managing
director at hhlA Intermodal. hhlA
has already put the first pieces of the
puzzle in place. In the spring of 2010,
18 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 19
Hub terminal
the hub system
A hub terminal can be imagined like the
hub on a bicycle wheel from which spokes
reach out in all directions. regular block
trains take the containers from the port to
the hub where they are sorted. they then
continue their journeys by rail and road to
their separate destinations.
hhlA and eurogate founded the company
IPn Inland Port network to develop
inland terminals in important
economic centres. Although there are
already terminals in germany capable
of transferring containers from rail to
road and vice versa, these are in many
cases working to maximum capacity or
cannot be expanded any further. If there
were any doubts that hhlA means
business when it talks about building a
dense network in the hinterland, these
are dispelled by cIt container Inland
trucking, the company founded by
hhlA subsidiary ctd and the Bremenbased
transport company eKB. It will
cover the “last mile” from the inland
terminal to the customer.
hhlA's vision is ambitious.
once the new hubs are established in
the hinterland, shuttle trains will depart
many times each day from the hhlA
terminals at the Port of hamburg. A
constant stream of containers – flowing
through an intelligently designed
system.

All chAnge
Coal bulkerS and
ore trainS
It's not only a giant among terminals operating in the shadow of the Köhlbrand bridge – but also a miracle of
automation. Nearly 20 per cent of the total tonnage arriving at the Port of Hamburg is handled by this one
terminal. We pay a visit to the mighty Hansaport.
hamburg's “iron mountains” lie under
the city's Köhlbrand bridge. hansaport
hafenbetriebsgesellschaft builds vast
piles of red and black – ore and coal
for the power stations and steel works
of northern germany. hansaport is the
country's largest and most efficient
seaport terminal for bulk goods and discharged
13.8 million tonnes of ore
and coal in 2010. with a workforce of
just 106 employees, this is only made
possible by a highly sophisticated automation
concept. “our facilities operate
up to 90 per cent automatically,”
says erhard Meller, managing director
of hansaport. 760 metres of quayside
await the giant bulk carriers. the four unloaders
can handle more than 110,000
tonnes of ore and up to 70,000 tonnes
of coal per day. they load the dis-
charged cargo onto conveyor belts,
which form a criss-cross grid over the
350,000-m² site. the conveyor belts
automatically dump off the coal and ore
at precisely the locations commanded
by the terminal control centre.
Automated bucket wheel excavators
then pile up the mountains of
coal and ore across the storage areas.
their laser scanners measure and
ore and coal are transferred by a conveyor
belt network (right) to vast piles spread over
an area of 350,000 m².
calculate the heap geometry in three
dimensions. from the storage site, the
journey continues by conveyor belt,
usually to the terminal's own railway
sidings. up to 15 trains are processed
automatically here every day. the trucks
are usually delivered by deutsche Bahn
and received by a remote controlled terminal
locomotive. the trains can be up
to 600 metres long and the locomotive
first shunts the waggons backwards
through the loading station. here, scanners
again inspect the condition of the
waggons, record their data and pass this
online to the database. this prepares
the loading of the waggons electronically.
the automated loading process
now controls the locomotive. once all
the waggons have been recorded, the
locomotive pulls the train back through
the loading station while each waggon
is filled with the required quantity
of coal or ore. finally, deutsche Bahn
collects its train from the terminal.
Sometimes the raw materials
continue their journey by inland waterway
and, of course, these barges are
also loaded automatically. “we do not
need a single metre of road to transport
the materials,” says Meller. we do
not like to imagine what it would mean
to transport 13.8 million tonnes of bulk
goods by road.
unloaders (leftmost) can discharge more
than 100,000 tonnes of bulk goods per day.
At the storage site, automated bucket wheel
excavators (left) pile up the ore and coal
into vast heaps or remove it for subsequent
transport.
20
hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 21

automated guided vehicles
(agvs) emit 30 per cent less co2 thanks to hybrid diesel-electric
engines. the next generation of
vehicles could be battery powered
if the trial proves successful.
Semi-automatic double-trolley
container gantry cranes have
engines which recover electricity
when the container is lowered,
saving 20 to 25 per cent of their
energy needs.
the container rail terminal with
seven tracks ensures that more
goods can be transported by rail,
which is better for the environment.
Block container trains can be marshalled
directly without shunting.
the adjacent logistics centre
means traffic is reduced due to the
short distances involved. Several
logistics companies (such as hhlA
logistics) are establishing a freight
traffic centre nearby.
an automated block storage
facility opens up new possibilities
for the efficient use of space at the
terminal. It requires only half the
yard space conventional needed
per container.
SuStAInABle trAVel
high-teCh Climate
proteCtion
Technological innovations and a high level of electrification are working hand in hand to protect the environment
at the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA). Electricity from renewable sources is being used to reduce
the terminal's carbon footprint by around 60 per cent.
As well as being the world’s most
highly automated container terminal,
hamburg-Altenwerder can also boast
the highest level of electrification. this
is great news for the environment, as
the terminal’s energy requirements
– over 50 million kwh of electricity –
have been generated entirely from
renewable resources since 2010. use
of carbon-neutral energy reduces the
terminal’s carbon footprint by around
60 per cent. But this has not stopped
the terminal from further trying to save
energy and automated processes are
constantly being optimised with the
aid of special algorithms. Special
software calculates the shortest and
therefore most energy-efficient routes
across the terminal and minimises the
number of stacking manoeuvres in the
container store. In 2010, the “Multiple
load” project alone led to a saving
of 292,000 kwh of electricity and
334,000 litres of diesel. the initiative
focused on transporting and handling
two standard containers at the same
time.
22 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 23

nAVIgAtIon AIdS
planning and
programming
Intelligent control systems are the key to enhancing the efficiency of automated processes in logistics. To
achieve this, HHLA Group employees use networked IT systems, many of which have been developed in-house.
due to the high degree of automation
at the hhlA container terminal Alten-
werder, visitors often get the impression
that everything happens “as if by
magic”. It is certainly true that there
are few employees to be seen at the
quayside, although a total of over 800
people are employed at the terminal.
150 of them work in the operations
centre, ensuring that everything runs
working around the clock at hhlA contai-
ner terminal Altenwerder.
according to the terminal’s wellplanned
schedule. the control centre
is at the heart of this complex mechanism.
It is staffed around the clock by
15 operations managers. the centre’s
large windows enable them to monitor
the flow of hundreds of thousands of
steel boxes every year and ensure they
are handled as efficiently as possible.
Automation with the aid of stateof-the-art
It plays a key role. however,
computers are only machines – useful
tools which cannot replace experienced
staff and their ability to make
sound judgements, especially in tricky
situations. this becomes particularly
clear in the control centres that can be
found at all hhlA container terminals.
only real people can assess the current
situation correctly; only they can input
the necessary parameters into computers
in order to react to important requirements.
this could be organising a rapid
response to a special customer request
or a technical disruption. or, over
the long term, refining the many little
things which – when taken together –
continuously optimise workflows. that
is the only reason why the terminal in
Altenwerder, originally designed for
1.9 million standard containers (teu),
can now handle around 1 million
teu more than this. this has been a-
chieved by adjusting It programms, altering
vehicle paths and recalculating algorithms.
hhlA has a large It department
which develops relevant programms
itself and optimises the interfaces with
third-party systems. this is essential
because very few external specialists
are genuinely familiar with the workflows
of a terminal.
these very specific requirements
mean that new job profiles often
emerge – for example in servicing and
troubleshooting – where highly skilled
staff write their own control software.
however, making intelligent use of modern
It in day-to-day operations is not
restricted to the container terminals.
It systems and the process chain ap-
from the control centre, operations managers
have a perfect overview of activities
at the hhlA terminals.
proach are used across all areas of
hhlA’s activities. for instance, employees
at the hansaport bulk goods
handling centre monitor throughput
in the control centre, dispatchers at
the railway companies track each and
every container on their monitor
screens, and the hhlA subsidiary ctd
has even developed special software
and screens for truck drivers designed
to prevent deadheading at the port.
“the training provided by hhlA
also takes this into account,” explains
the head of hhlA’s own specialist college.
Project management has been
part of the curriculum since 2006 and
transport chains are treated holistically.
“Planning and control skills are
becoming increasingly important,” he
comments. “More and more machinery
is coordinated and controlled remotely;
schedules have to be drafted and
optimised.”
24
hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 25

tIMe trAVel
old briCkS,
new reSidentS
In the early 1990's, HHLA embarked on a programme to renovate and develop the red brick blocks of
Hamburg's historic Speicherstadt warehouse district. Fashion designers, copywriters, architects now work in
these former warehouses alongside museums and music students.
the red brick blocks rise like moated
castles above the waterways of
hamburg's historic Speicherstadt.
“the store rooms were formerly used
solely for their original purpose – usually
for tea, coffee and carpets,” says
heidi Möller of hamburger hafen und
logistik Ag (hhlA). She is responsible
for the marketing of real estate in this
renowned district, “which used to have
simple, unheated rooms and generally
not even running water.” today, purple
handbags hang here gleaming under
their spotlights. In the freshly renovated
Block Q, fashion companies such as
BrAX and nannini present their outfits
and accessories in smart showrooms.
next to the shelves are the old wooden
pillars, once used by spice traders as
message boards. In those days, barges
plied the waterways delivering cocoa,
coffee and rum. labourers waited in
front of the blocks hoping to find work.
they carried the goods from the hatches
to the interior of the warehouse.
until 2003, the Speicherstadt
belonged to the free port zone and was
not subject to customs duties. It was
therefore a restricted area that was
closed to outside users not connected
with the port. Since then the Speicherstadt,
located between the city centre
and hafencity development, has rein-
hhlA is developing the brick buildings of
the Speicherstadt sensitively and carefully,
with a focus on sustainability and creativity.
vented itself. hhlA is redeveloping the
old brick buildings sensitively, carefully
and with a long-term view. And its focus
on sustainability and creativity is
attracting modern tenants to this venerable
quarter: advertising agencies,
architects and fashion companies appreciate
the flair and charm of the old
buildings. where once raw coffee was
roasted, “Speicher und consorten”
now markets tea and coffee specialities
via the internet.
with new tenants come new demands
in terms of building infrastructure
and services. for instance, hhlA
is installing modern heating systems
and elevators and renovating the historic
brickwork. Marketable and sustainable
solutions are developed for every
use. when preservation orders permit,
hhlA will even enlarge the windows if
requested.
100 years ago the nights here
were usually dark and deserted; the
night watchman flitted across the floors
with a gas lamp. now, the night hours
see designers and visitors to exhibitions
meeting between illuminated façades
in cafés, bistros and restaurants.
the "culture warehouse" d is
home to the historically-charged “dungeon”,
the Stage Academy musical
school and “Miniatur wunderland”, the
world's largest model railway. these
attractions are increasingly extending
their opening times into the evening.
“this is important for new residents
and the companies in the neighbouring
hafencity district,” says rainer nelde,
head of lettings at hhlA. “we want to
invigorate the quarter but also keep it
individual and not make it uniform.”
nelde does not wish to see
mainstream shops, retail chains and
fast food restaurants in the Speicherstadt.
“we are looking for indi-
vidual commercial tenants who are
involved personally, have the necessary
enthusiasm and identify closely with
the location.”
After all, hhlA's Speicherstadt
project, as well as being a model for
sustainable development and professional
management, has an even greater
goal: it aims to gain uneSco world heritage
Site status for the Speicherstadt
district. the ambition is to create a historic
but vital multicultural district, which
thrives on the diversity of its users and
uses. this also includes – importantly –
traditional uses, such as carpet trading.
“the excitement of the district is created
by bringing in the broadest possible
range of uses. these cross-fertilise
each other and also work sustainably in
the long-term,” says nelde describing
the Speicherstadt's journey from the
past to the present and the future.
hhla real eState Segment
with new tenants come new demands.
hhlA is developing marketable and sustainable
solutions for every use.
Sensitive structural transformation for a port
quarter with a rich tradition
Project and real estate asset development, district management and the active
transformation of an urban structure – hhlA Immobilien's portfolio encompasses
a broad spectrum of interests. At its heart lies the sensitive and
sustainable redevelopment of hamburg's historic Speicherstadt district into
a model area of the city. the unique warehouse complex is an inspiration to
tenants from the media, culture and fashion sectors. on the northern banks of
the river elbe, hhlA and fMh fischmarkt hamburg-Altona gmbh are preserving
a piece of the traditional fishing industry, embedded in an intelligent real
estate development for fish merchants, offices and high-flying restaurants.
26 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 27

Better trAVel
innovationS of
the paSt and todaY
For more than 125 years, HHLA has been putting fresh wind in the sails of port logistics systems. Its modern
storage concepts and transport vehicles have been and continue to be a model for companies around the globe.
An easier way to
stack
the introduction of the forklift in
the 1950s made it much easier to
transport goods around ports and
stack them efficiently. with the advent
of the standard container as
the most important transportation
unit, hhlA and the manufacturer
Peiner developed the first straddle
carrier at the end of the 1960s. this,
in its modern incarnation, would go
on to conquer the world. It enabled
operators to move and stack the
steel boxes around the terminal site
much more simply.
F
fresh fruit
In 1931, hamburg Port Authority
installed a mobile conveyor system
for bananas in its fruit sheds.
this was protected against the
weather and made it possible
to distribute the bunches of
bananas more quickly. the new
refrigerated sheds that went into
operation in 2009 at o’Swaldkai
are equipped with a fully automated
distribution system, which
assigns every pallet of banana
boxes to an individual storage
space.
Autopilot replaces
muscle power
for many years, transportation in
ports was the business of strong
men who moved barrows and
trolleys loaded with bulk goods
from A to B. today, Automated
guided Vehicles (AgV) move
around the terminal site taking
containers to their storage sites
and then transferring them to
continue their onward journeys.
Storage as required
when hamburg’s Speicherstadt
warehouse district was built at
the end of the 19th century, it was
the most modern logistics centre
of its day. the long, multi-storey
warehouse blocks offered extensive
storage space in the new free port
and were equipped with innovations
such as electric light and hydraulic
winches. In the age of just-in-time
production, containers are a convenient
package of transport receptacle
and storage area in one. At
Betting on rail
the combination of ship and rail has
always played a key role in the Port
of hamburg’s transport concept.
the first rail waggons were pulled by
teams of two horses. however, these
were soon replaced by steam locomotives.
In 2008, hhlA opened one
of the most modern container rail terminals
in europe at the terminal tollerort.
By expanding its inland terminals,
hhlA is promoting the transfer
of goods traffic from the roads to the
railways. that boosts efficiency and
radically reduces transport costs.
the container terminal Altenwerder,
hhlA put its first automated block
storage area into operation in 2002.
It sorts steel containers to perfection
for onward transportation.
28 hhla travel guide
hhla travel guide 29

travel phrase book:
SpeCial termS for portS and
logiStiCS
automated guided vehiCle (agv):
fully automated, driverless transport
system, which moves containers between
the container gantry cranes at the
waterside and the block storage area.
used by hhlA at the container terminal
Altenwerder.
bloCk Storage: Automated block
storage is used by hhlA at the container
terminal Altenwerder and also at
the container terminal Burchardkai for
compact stacking of containers. operated
by rail mounted gantry cranes.
Container gantrY Crane: crane
system for loading and unloading container
ships. classified as panamax-, postpanamax-
and super-post-panamax
container gantry cranes suitable for corresponding
ship sizes.
hinterland: the catchment area of a
port.
30 hhla travel guide
inComing tonnage: total tonnage of
incoming load.
intermodal or intermodal SYStemS:
transportation using different modes
of transport (rail, water, road), which
combines the specific advantages of each
carrier.
multimodal tranSport see Intermodal.
multipurpoSe terminal: universal
terminal for handling different types of general
cargo such as fruit, vehicles, heavy
goods and also containers.
outgoing tonnage: total tonnage of
outgoing load.
rail mounted gantrY CraneS (rmg):
crane systems, which span their work area
(e.g. block storage area or rail terminals)
like a portal. they operate on rails.
Standard Container see teu.
teu (twentY foot eQuivalent
unit): Standardised container, used
worldwide for the uniform counting unit
for containers. A 20-foot container is
6.1 metres long, 2.44 metres wide and
2.59 metres high.
trimodal: describes the connection
of a logistics terminal to the three modes
of transport: rail, road and waterway.
unloader: equipment for unloading
coal and ore bulkers.
van Carrier (alSo Straddle Carrier):
cargo handling equipment, usually
with eight wheels, for the transportation
of containers at terminals. the
driver positions his straddle carrier
over the container, lifts it and stacks it
in layers.
imprint
publisher: hamburger hafen und logistik Ag, Bei St. Annen 1, d-20457 hamburg, tel.: +49-40-3088-0, fax +49-40-3088-3355, email:
info@hhla.de, www.hhla.de responsible for content: florian Marten, corporate communications Manager hhlA, tel.: +49-40-3088-3503,
email: marten@hhla.de design and editor-in-chief: torsten engelhardt, toe-KoM, hamburg art direction: Petra hasselbring, hamburg
photography/image sources: julia Baier, christian Bruch, engel & gielen, Sven glage, thomas hampel, oliver heissner, jomare/fotolia, nele
Martensen, jörg Modrow. Pp. 28-29 historic photographs: gustav werbeck, Speicherstadtmuseum Archive, hamburger-fotoarchiv (christoph
Bellin). lithography and printing: druckerei weidmann, hamburg.
© hamburger hafen und logistik Ag, May 2011.

hamburger hafen und logiStik aktiengeSellSChaft
Bei St. Annen 1, d-20457 hamburg, telefon: +49-40-3088-0, fax +49-40-3088-3355, e-Mail: info@hhla.de, www.hhla.de