A new €11m harbour with eight permanent berths for tugs and two emergency berths has been completed in Bremerhaven as a spin-off to the port’s €233m Kaiserschleuse development.
Bremerhaven spokesman Rüdiger Staats told MJ the cost of the 150m by about 90m tug harbour, located on the Weser alongside the Kaiserschleuse and protected by a new mole, had come out of the overall Kaiserschleuse budget. The mole forms part of the entrance to the new, wider lock, on which work started in 2007 and is due for completion in 2010.
Local Mayor Jens Böhrnsen said at the opening of the tug harbour that, as far as investment was concerned, Bremerhaven, Germany’s second biggest universal seaport after Hamburg, ‘has no intention of being frightened off by current global logistics problems’. He added that in building both the tug berths and the adjacent Kaiserschleuse, Bremerhaven was ‘gearing itself up for better times, which are guaranteed to come’.
Sheet piling along about 450m was used to contain the banks of the new harbour. Bearing piles of up to 35m and angled piles of up to 46m were placed.
Responsible for harbour construction, which began in January 2008 and was completed in May, was the same consortium which is also handling the Kaiserschleuse development. It groups Hochtief Construction, Aug. Prien Bauunternehmung and Strabag AGH.
Tug operators URAG and KOTUG will each now use three of the berths in the new harbour while Bugsier will have two. URAG chief Michel Ippich praised local authorities for meeting the needs of tug firms and giving them an alternative fast and close access to big ships now that their old berths have given way to a wider Kaiserschleuse.
Bremerhaven will get a second tug harbour by the end of the year when another facility will be completed at the northern end of the CT 1V Container Terminal. It will provide berths for another five tugs.
Bremerhaven spokesman Rüdiger Staats told MJ the cost of the 150m by about 90m tug harbour, located on the Weser alongside the Kaiserschleuse and protected by a new mole, had come out of the overall Kaiserschleuse budget. The mole forms part of the entrance to the new, wider lock, on which work started in 2007 and is due for completion in 2010.
Local Mayor Jens Böhrnsen said at the opening of the tug harbour that, as far as investment was concerned, Bremerhaven, Germany’s second biggest universal seaport after Hamburg, ‘has no intention of being frightened off by current global logistics problems’. He added that in building both the tug berths and the adjacent Kaiserschleuse, Bremerhaven was ‘gearing itself up for better times, which are guaranteed to come’.
Sheet piling along about 450m was used to contain the banks of the new harbour. Bearing piles of up to 35m and angled piles of up to 46m were placed.
Responsible for harbour construction, which began in January 2008 and was completed in May, was the same consortium which is also handling the Kaiserschleuse development. It groups Hochtief Construction, Aug. Prien Bauunternehmung and Strabag AGH.
Tug operators URAG and KOTUG will each now use three of the berths in the new harbour while Bugsier will have two. URAG chief Michel Ippich praised local authorities for meeting the needs of tug firms and giving them an alternative fast and close access to big ships now that their old berths have given way to a wider Kaiserschleuse.
Bremerhaven will get a second tug harbour by the end of the year when another facility will be completed at the northern end of the CT 1V Container Terminal. It will provide berths for another five tugs.