Hamburg, 22 March 2017 – The Hugo Lentz and the Johannes Dalmann, two modern multi-purpose ships, are the Hamburg Port Authority’s (HPA) latest additions to its fleet. Completing the HPA’s programme to modernise its icebreaker fleet, the two new ships will keep Hamburg’s port area and the Elbe main stream navigable in icy weather. In a festive ceremony at Überseebrücke on Wednesday actress Sanna Englund (Notruf Hafenkante - a German TV series that plays in the port) smashed a bottle of champagne over the hull of the Johannes Dalmann and HPA employee, Martina Stülten, broke a bottle of champagne against the Hugo Lentz.
Both tugboats were built at Hitzler Werft, a shipyard in Lauenburg. They replace their equally named predecessors which had been in service in the Port of Hamburg for decades. The new low-emissions boats are fitted with soot particle filters, water-lubricated propeller shaft bearings and power-saving LED technology. Both ice breakers bunker gas-to-liquid (GTL), a clean-burning fuel. The boats also sport a shore power connection point enabling them to rely on shore power while at the berth.
With their powerful engines the Johannes Dalmann and the Hugo Lentz can push through 45cm (18in)-thick ice that may form in particularly cold winters. In the remaining year the boats are used to tow and haul ships as well as to carry out general transport work in the port.
“With spring around the corner it is difficult to imagine ice floating on the Elbe. The two modern boats keep the waterways ice-free thus enabling the HPA to ensure the safety of the dykes and the accessibility of the Port of Hamburg even in severe frost,” says Jens Meier, Chairman of the Management Board of the HPA. “The launch of the Johannes Dalmann and the Hugo Lentz is another step in the HPA’s quest to build up an eco-friendly fleet. When it comes to using clean-burning fuels, the Port of Hamburg strives to set an example.”
“Ensuring that ships can access the Port of Hamburg - the engine of the local economy - 24 hours a day, throughout the year, is a key task of the Hamburg Port Authority,” says Frank Horch, Hamburg Minister for Economic Affairs, Transport and Innovation.
“Over a year ago we delivered two multi-purpose tugs to the HPA, which have done an admirable job in their time of service in the port. We are now handing over two bigger, more powerful new tugboats,” says Jürgen Freudenberg, Managing Director of Hitzler Werft and adds, “Building the four new boats in the last years meant that Hitzler Werft operated at full capacity. We are also delighted that the newbuilding 832 will be christened Hugo Lentz. In 1850 Lentz was a young engineer who was involved in the construction of the Lauenburg railway bridge which is located right next to our shipyard.”
About the Hamburg Port Authority
The Hamburg Port Authority AöR (HPA) has been providing future-oriented port management services offering one face to the customer since 2005. To ensure safe and efficient processes in the Port of Hamburg and meet the demands of a growing port, the HPA relies on intelligent and innovative solutions. The HPA is responsible for resource-efficient, sustainable planning and the implementation of infrastructure projects in the port. It is the contact point for all kinds of questions concerning the waterside and landside infrastructure, the safety of navigation for vessels, port railway facilities, port property management and business conditions in the port. The HPA ensures the provision of land as required, carries out all statutory duties placed on it and provides port industry services. It markets port-specific technical knowledge and represents the interests of the Port of Hamburg at a national and international level. www.hamburg-port-authority.de
Press Contact: HPA Hamburg Port Authority | Press Office | Tel.: +49 40 42847-2300 | pressestelle@hpa.hamburg.de
