Germany’s top port, Hamburg, has unveiled a sweeping infrastructure investment of €1.1bn ($1.29bn) aimed at modernising its container handling capabilities at the Waltershofer Hafen. This large-scale development will significantly upgrade navigational access, expand terminal capacity, and usher in an era of automated and climate-friendly operations.

At the heart of the investment lies a strategic revamp of the Elbe River approach to the Waltershofer Hafen — Hamburg’s busiest container throughput area. A key improvement will be the expansion of the turning basin from 480 m to 600 m, providing mega-containerships with greater manoeuvrability. Currently, approximately 90% of the world’s largest boxships calling at Hamburg are handled in this basin.

The wider turning area will not only enhance navigational safety and vessel handling efficiency but will also future-proof the port for increasingly large ships. All berths at the Waltershofer Hafen — serving Container Terminals Burchardkai (CTB) and Hamburg (CTH) — are set to benefit from this major upgrade, streamlining both inbound and outbound traffic flows along the Elbe.

In addition to the waterway improvements, new land will be developed to accommodate expanded terminal yards. This additional operating space will significantly boost throughput capacity and allow for a transition to automated and electrified operations.

These future terminal areas, to remain under public ownership, will be leased to Eurogate under market conditions. The integrated site will feature direct connections to road and rail infrastructures. Electrically powered, autonomously guided vehicles will be employed for container movement.

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) will lead the infrastructure works, with a targeted completion window in the mid-2030s. Public funding will shoulder a substantial share of the €1.1bn cost, contingent on state aid approval from the European Commission. To preempt potential legal delays, HPA has voluntarily initiated an upstream ex-ante review, with outcomes expected in 2026.

Complementing the public investment, terminal operator Eurogate has committed to investing a minimum of €700m in expanding and modernising the existing container terminal. Under a preliminary lease agreement, Eurogate will take over newly developed land and complete terminal upgrades within two years of handover.

With planning approvals secured and legal hurdles resolved, construction can now proceed. The land reclamation process — including soil excavation from the Bubendey bank and eastern headland north of the Petroleumhafen — will reshape the existing port basin. Once sealed off by a dam, the area will be infilled and developed into Hamburg’s newest logistics hub.