It will be capable of handling 9m tonnes of cargo annually, although this will be extended to 15m tonnes depending on demand.
Hamburg is aiming once more to restructure its intra-terminal traffic, installing its first motorised and crane-fitted container barge. The vessel will have a capacity of 170TEUs and will be equipped with a container crane with a capacity of 40 tonnes. It is due to be delivered in the first quarter of 2007. It is hoped the container will transport up to 40,000 containers a year. It will increase the port's efficiency - previously container transport within the port has been by conventional gearless barges, and been twice as expensive as that by lorries, as the forwarder had to pay for the straddle carriers as well as the gantry cranes on the quayside. The new crane will make the barge independent from this last cost.
