Concerted efforts for more acceptance
The German Ports Alliance’s more measured tone at the National Maritime Conference in Emden at the end of April was followed by an official “bombshell” on 10 June 2026, when the group of eight ports introduced itself to the public for the first time at the premises housing the Hamburg State Representation in Berlin.
A successful shipbuilder and developer of autonomous surface systems
Rheinmetall acquired Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), including all its subsidiaries, on 1 March 2026, going from a supplier of naval equipment to a fully fledged shipbuilder. With this step, the Group expanded its portfolio to include a sixth division, which operates under the title Naval Systems and, in addition to shipbuilding, features a second strong mainstay.
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Community News
epas honoured with the ‘Großer Preis des Mittelstandes’
EMDEN / DÜSSELDORF Ems Ports Agency and Stevedoring Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG (epas) was awarded the ‘Großer Preis des Mittelstandes’ (Grand Prize for Medium-Sized Enterprises) 2026 on 12 September.
BLG LOGISTICS invests in the automotive logistics of the future
HAMBURG. Together with Hamburg’s Senator for Economic Affairs and Innovation, Dr Melanie Leonhard, and the main contractor Gieseke, the CEO of BLG LOGISTICS, Matthias Magnor, laid the foundation stone for a sustainable site development in the Port of Hamburg on 17 September 2026.
Logistics Pilot
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Main Topic
“WATT MUTT, DATT MUTT!”
According to this Low German proverb, if you wish to make headway, you sometimes have to tackle tasks without more ado. This is also true for infrastructure and superstructure development in northern Germany’s ports. Even though it is often still unclear where the necessary funding will come from and how quickly implementation can take place, the local port industry is getting stuck in.
Not just important, crucial to the system
For over four years, both the global order and international trade have been undergoing a transformation – with far-reaching consequences for supply chains and ports worldwide. Their status is no longer regarded merely as “important” but increasingly as “crucial to the system”. With far-reaching consequences.
Germany speeds up the pace
Irrespective of whether the subject is roads, bridges, waterways or rail networks, infrastructure has now appeared on the political agenda.
Logistics Story
Concerted efforts for more acceptance
The German Ports Alliance’s more measured tone at the National Maritime Conference in Emden at the end of April was followed by an official “bombshell” on 10 June 2026, when the group of eight ports introduced itself to the public for the first time at the premises housing the Hamburg State Representation in Berlin.
COMMODITY flows in flux
Global trade routes often face pressure. And yet trade continues – even if along different paths. Current figures and voices in the industry reveal what that means for the Bremen and Lower Saxony seaports.
Growing in partnership
Project cargo requires space, transshipment expertise and someone to take charge. Ems Ports Agency and Stevedoring Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG (epas) in Emden and Dörpener Umschlaggesellschaft für den kombinierten Verkehr (DUK) in Dörpen demonstrate how a seaport and an inland port, along with an inland facility, can work hand in hand to the benefit of customers and service providers alike.
Concerted efforts for more acceptance
The German Ports Alliance’s more measured tone at the National Maritime Conference in Emden at the end of April was followed by an official “bombshell” on 10 June 2026, when the group of eight ports introduced itself to the public for the first time at the premises housing the Hamburg State Representation in Berlin.
COMMODITY flows in flux
Global trade routes often face pressure. And yet trade continues – even if along different paths. Current figures and voices in the industry reveal what that means for the Bremen and Lower Saxony seaports.
Growing in partnership
Project cargo requires space, transshipment expertise and someone to take charge. Ems Ports Agency and Stevedoring Beteiligungs GmbH & Co. KG (epas) in Emden and Dörpener Umschlaggesellschaft für den kombinierten Verkehr (DUK) in Dörpen demonstrate how a seaport and an inland port, along with an inland facility, can work hand in hand to the benefit of customers and service providers alike.
Point of View
Digitalisation
A laser as a watchman
Ports, offshore wind farms and data cables form the backbone of supply security and are increasingly under threat. The Institute for the Protection of Maritime Infrastructures of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Bremerhaven is conducting research on how best to monitor and protect them.
Heavy goods seek digital brokerage
The HeavyBoost digital brokerage platform brings together cargo and free return transport capacity to minimise empty runs in heavy goods transport. The IT of the online platform, which received the BHV Project Logistics Award last year, was developed by Hanseatische Software-Entwicklungs- und Consulting GmbH (HEC), a company based in Bremen.
Ready to tackle the future
What does a port logistics specialist need to be capable of today and in the future? There is no denying that automation and digitalisation will change port operations and require new skills. German seaports have responded with the “PortSkill 4.0” project and are in the process of setting up a digital test and training centre (DTTC), where the necessary skills can be taught with a focus on practical application.
A laser as a watchman
Ports, offshore wind farms and data cables form the backbone of supply security and are increasingly under threat. The Institute for the Protection of Maritime Infrastructures of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Bremerhaven is conducting research on how best to monitor and protect them.
Heavy goods seek digital brokerage
The HeavyBoost digital brokerage platform brings together cargo and free return transport capacity to minimise empty runs in heavy goods transport. The IT of the online platform, which received the BHV Project Logistics Award last year, was developed by Hanseatische Software-Entwicklungs- und Consulting GmbH (HEC), a company based in Bremen.
Ready to tackle the future
What does a port logistics specialist need to be capable of today and in the future? There is no denying that automation and digitalisation will change port operations and require new skills. German seaports have responded with the “PortSkill 4.0” project and are in the process of setting up a digital test and training centre (DTTC), where the necessary skills can be taught with a focus on practical application.
Sustainability
Resilience as a guiding principle
Due to their position at the interface between land and sea, German ports are uniquely affected by climate change. Rising sea levels and extreme weather events like flooding, torrential rain and heatwaves, in particular, represent significant challenges for port locations.
Successful launch of new heavy-load shuttle
An inland waterway shuttle – a new transport option for heavy-load and project cargo organised by the Am Zehnhoff-Söns Group in cooperation with BLG LOGISTICS and a company from the construction machinery industry – has been running regularly between the ports of Bremen and the inland areas of western Germany since March.
Wind power in the wave flume
Looking into the future is already possible in the Large Wave Flume of the Coastal Research Center in Hannover-Marienwerder. Researchers are currently testing the jacket structure of an offshore wind turbine with a total height in excess of 300 metres in one of the world’s largest wave flumes.
Events
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Portrait
A successful shipbuilder and developer of autonomous surface systems
Rheinmetall acquired Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), including all its subsidiaries, on 1 March 2026, going from a supplier of naval equipment to a fully fledged shipbuilder. With this step, the Group expanded its portfolio to include a sixth division, which operates under the title Naval Systems and, in addition to shipbuilding, features a second strong mainstay.
High-tech solutions from an underwater perspective
With more than 120 years’ experience in the fields of underwater acoustics, sensors and information technology, TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, a segment of the TKMS Group, is a popular supplier to many navies as well as civilian customers. The portfolio of services ranges from sonar systems, command and control systems, and communication equipment for surface ships and submarines to heavyweight torpedoes, mine countermeasure weapons and hydrographic survey systems.
Wind of change to challenge stereotypes
Unfortunately, sexism is alive and well. Comments like “Unloading the dishwasher is a woman’s job” and “All you have to do to get your way is bat your eyelashes” are still all too common at many companies today. The ENERCON Women’s Network has put together a comprehensive package of measures to prevent these from taking hold at ENERCON.
A successful shipbuilder and developer of autonomous surface systems
Rheinmetall acquired Naval Vessels Lürssen (NVL), including all its subsidiaries, on 1 March 2026, going from a supplier of naval equipment to a fully fledged shipbuilder. With this step, the Group expanded its portfolio to include a sixth division, which operates under the title Naval Systems and, in addition to shipbuilding, features a second strong mainstay.
High-tech solutions from an underwater perspective
With more than 120 years’ experience in the fields of underwater acoustics, sensors and information technology, TKMS ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, a segment of the TKMS Group, is a popular supplier to many navies as well as civilian customers. The portfolio of services ranges from sonar systems, command and control systems, and communication equipment for surface ships and submarines to heavyweight torpedoes, mine countermeasure weapons and hydrographic survey systems.
Wind of change to challenge stereotypes
Unfortunately, sexism is alive and well. Comments like “Unloading the dishwasher is a woman’s job” and “All you have to do to get your way is bat your eyelashes” are still all too common at many companies today. The ENERCON Women’s Network has put together a comprehensive package of measures to prevent these from taking hold at ENERCON.
