SPOTLIGHT: German ports

Philip Sweens, managing director of HHLA International, comments: “This partnership with Fernride as part of the pilot project in Tallinn will help us to jointly explore new opportunities and to create workflows at our international terminals that are future-orientated and sustainable. We look forward to our collaboration with Fernride and hope this project will be the beginning of a long partnership.”

Trucks and tractor units equipped by Fernride will be remote-controlled by teleoperators, who receive and send targeted commands in real time by controlling the gas pedal, brakes, steering wheel and joystick. Fernride’s algorithms can be further trained using data from the real-life operation in order to roll out additional autonomous functions.

Truck drivers can be more flexibly deployed through the use of this new technology, which has a positive impact on operating procedures. In addition, the option to work remotely increases both the attractiveness of the job profile and safety on the respective premises.

Hydrogen boost

HHLA has commissioned Linde Engineering to build a hydrogen filling station, which will be part of the test centre for hydrogen-powered port logistics in the Port of Hamburg.

The hydrogen filling station is being developed within the scope of HHLA’s Clean Port and Logistics (CPL) cluster to fuel hydrogen-powered heavy goods vehicles and terminal equipment and to test them in operation. HHLA will operate the filling station as part of its cluster activities in the Port of Hamburg.

Linde Engineering and HHLA are thus creating a reliable refuelling infrastructure for heavy equipment in the port. The filling station is expected to begin operation in 2023.

The filling station is centred on an energy-efficient high-pressure ionic compressor that compresses the hydrogen up to 450 bar. This will allow equipment such as straddle carriers, empty container stackers, forklift trucks, reach stackers, terminal tractor units and trucks to be refuelled with hydrogen efficiently. Moreover, the filling station incorporates various options for expansion.

“Our commissioning of Linde Engineering to build the hydrogen filling station is the next milestone for our hydrogen activities in the CPL cluster. With the construction of the filling station, the required infrastructure is now being created to speed up the transition to emissions-free heavy goods logistics and port operations, and to drive forward the decarbonisation of logistics,” explains Georg Böttner, head of the HHLA Hydrogen Network.

“We are delighted to support this forward-looking project with our technology. Efficient and, most importantly, safe refuelling of various hydrogen vehicles is essential for sustainable and seamless port operations,” emphasises Alexander Unterschütz, executive vice president components at Linde Engineering.

HHLA established CPL as an innovation cluster to test hydrogenpowered equipment in port logistics.

The aim of the project is to examine how hydrogen can be used to reliably supply power to harbour technology and port logistics.

HHLA is working with partner companies from around the world to develop solutions to bring hydrogenpowered heavy goods vehicles and terminal equipment to market quickly and to put in place the measures necessary for their use. The concepts developed for operation, safety, repair, maintenance, refuelling and supply are tested and optimised in practical operation.

The heart of the CPL innovation cluster is a test centre at HHLA Container Terminal Tollerort in Hamburg, where hydrogen-powered equipment can be tested on actual port handling operations and heavy goods transport.

The cluster is sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure as part of a national innovation programme for hydrogen and fuel cell technology.