Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) is at the forefront of the transition to electric mobility. Its Container Terminal Altenwerder has already been using highly efficient equipment powered by green electricity for years. This concept is now being rolled out to other terminals.
Source: HHLA/Martin Elsen
The CTB’s automated storage blocks (on the right) is more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly than the straddle carriers (the small units on the left of the picture).
Politically, too, the issue is continuing to gain momentum. Speaking at the 2026 Petersberg Climate Dialogue, Germany’s Federal Minister for the Environment, Carsten Schneider, emphasised the need to advance electrification in international climate policy. He said this was a “global megatrend” with rapidly growing markets. HHLA recognised this trend at an early stage and incorporated it into a long-term climate strategy to cut its carbon emissions. The European logistics company headquartered in Hamburg has already reduced its specific CO2 emissions at its container terminals by 58.5 percent since 2008. How has it achieved this? Through increasingly electrified installations and processes powered by renewable electricity from certified sources.
This has been the case for all of HHLA’s sites in Hamburg since 2024. The huge container gantry cranes at the berths have been designed to operate on a continuous direct power supply for decades. The situation is similar at CTA, where rail-mounted gantry cranes are used. At Burchardkai’s (CTB) container yard, a block storage system is also increasingly replacing diesel-powered straddle carriers. This new system has almost doubled the storage capacity and made container storage more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly. Comparing the initial phase in 2010 with 2025 demonstrates this: for similar throughput figures, diesel consumption fell by around three million litres – saving approx. 8,000 tonnes of CO₂.
| Source: HHLA/Denise Jansen & Thies Rätzke The battery-powered AGVs (first tested in 2009) are more environmentally friendly and less prone to faults. They are also much easier to service. |
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The switch from straddle carriers to automated guided vehicles (AGVs) is also well underway at CTB. Its sister terminal CTA is a global pioneer in this technology. The prototype for what is now the electric automated guided vehicle built as standard was developed in collaboration with the German manufacturer Gottwald for CTA. All AGVs there have been battery-powered since 2023. This has saved up to six million litres of diesel at CTA.
The battery-powered AGVs (first tested in 2009) are more environmentally friendly and less prone to faults. They are also much easier to service, as many components – such as the diesel engine, generator, rectifier and motor control system – are no longer required. Overall efficiency is an important metric for technical transport concepts, indicating the percentage to which the energy used is converted into motion. From around 25 percent overall efficiency for a diesel-electric AGV, this figure has been improved to more than 70 percent for a battery-electric AGV. This shows the economic principle underlying the transition to electric mobility: direct use of electricity makes greater efficiency possible!
| Source: HHLA/Nele Martensen AGV at the charging station and in operation, transporting containers between the ship and the yard. |
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As almost all equipment at CTA is now electric, activities in the workshops have become cleaner and quieter. “Instead of adjusting valves and relying on intuition and experience to find faults, we’re now measuring insulation values and using diagnostic tools to analyse log files,” said team leader Sebastian Thiess, describing how the work has changed. He also mentioned that the new generation of lithium batteries (NMC cells) have more power and the battery management system is more reliable.
Battery-powered operation offers additional advantages in places like Hamburg, where the port is located close to the city. Local pollutant emissions – i.e. CO2 as well as soot and nitrogen oxides – are completely eliminated. And with no diesel engine required, the noise level is considerably lower. This also holds for the large fleet of cars and vans used by HHLA to transport employees and visitors, most of which are now electrified.
Source: HHLA/Christian Lorenz
At the CTA, team leader Sebastian Thiess is inspecting a battery-powered tractor.
While the majority of the much-used tractor units at CTA already run on battery power, testing of battery-powered hoists is still ongoing at a number of HHLA terminals. The transition to electrically powered machines and processes is therefore being driven forward in various projects. Through these efforts, HHLA is targeting at least a 90percent reduction in Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions at Group level by 2040. An ambitious yet logical goal, which is in line with the environmental credentials of HHLA’s business model.
