Germany: Elbehafen Brunsbüttel to be Extended

The Elbehafen Brunsbüttel, a universal port in private ownership of Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH / SCHRAMM group, is going to be extended this year. Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH, port operator and owner of the infrastructure, invest a total of about 15 Million Euro to improve the middle berth in the multi-purpose port Elbehafen.

Today a building contract for piling of a new bulkhead, the biggest single building action within the extension project, was signed at Brunsbüttel with Tiefbau GmbH Unterweser (TAGU), a Company of Ludwig Freytag group.

With this step, the Elbehafen Brunsbüttel, inaugurated in 1968, is going to be improved as deep water port. Already ten years ago the bulkhead on the Eastern side of the port was partly renewed. Now the middle area of the Elbehafen, which is the universal berth for Bulk freight and General cargo, especially for unit loads such as wind power stations, is being refitted for the future demands over the next 40 years.

First step of the construction project is a new, more sustainable bulkhead to be set and piled. For this major part of the whole project, the order was placed on 28th March 2012 with Company TAGU being specialist in water construction work. TAGU had won the tender earlier this year.

The contract covers an order volume of about 10 Million Euro; construction work will start in April/May this year and will be done during running operation of the Elbehafen.

“We are very pleased to assign TAGU being an experienced Company, focusing on the demands of us as port operator. Next to their practical experience, for us their flexibility of the Building Company was of major importance, to guarantee running operation of cargo handling with minimal disturbances”, says Frank Schnabel, managing director of Brunsbüttel Ports GmbH.

Going by today’s project plans, piling work should be finished in late autumn 2012.

After piling is finished, the pier panel in the middle port and the pier rail tracks will be renewed until next year and the berth will be partly deepened. All work should be finished by autumn 2013.

With this investment the Elbehafen focuses even more on handling of unit loads such as project cargo or wind power stations for onshore and offshore, whereas the strategic policy to react flexible as universal port to the market’s demands keeps highest priority.

“It means that the Elbehafen optimizes its function as flexible handling place for specially huge and heavy goods whilst still fulfilling all demands in handling and storage of dry goods, such as building material, on highest flexible level as well. We keep to our strategy as universal port with three main areas and improve our position in the developing project business at the same time”, Frank Schnabel explains.

Next to these actions, building on the new administration building is coming on nicely.

This project with an investment of more than 5 Million Euro was initiated and started last year. Finishing is planned for the beginning of 2013 when the three owners, next to Brunsbüttel Ports the egeb:Wirtschaftsförderung and Sartori & Berger GmbH & Co. KG, move into their new offices. The old administration building will be demolished to extend that area as port storage area.

„With these teo important building projects we focus consequently on further growth of our group of ports“, Frank Schnabel says. “In addition we are going to invest significantly in the Elbehafen’s superstructure for handling liquids, general and bulk cargo. Our number of staff also grows continuously. At the moment we have about ten vacancies, especially in the port’s operational area.

The group of ports of SCHRAMM group is not only at Brunsbüttel on the road to success. With co-operating the heavy lift port Rendsburg Port at the Kiel-Canal and with the logistical project coal power plant at Hamburg-Moorburg, further milestones in the group’s development are being taken. Also the strategic project of bunkering LNG at the Elbehafen is being pushed.

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Offshore WIND staff, March 29, 2012; Image: schrammgroup