The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) is setting standards with the introduction of a new discount promoting the use of eco-friendly shore power. As the decision on the fairway adjustment is still pending, discounts for very large vessels will continue to apply. Port fees will on average be increased
by a nominal 2.5 per cent. This is to offset general cost increases. “Our tariff policy ensures that unit costs stay below the average inflation rate of the past years. The Port of Hamburg has been recapturing market share since 2010. Our goal is to maintain this upward trend,” says Tino Klemm, Head of Finances and Real Property and Member of the HPA Management Board. New environmental discount for ships as part of the HPA’s environmental strategy.
All in all the HPA is now offering five different environmental discounts for ves-sels, thus contributing to cleaner air in the port. One of the new discounts is the “port power discount” of fifteen per cent grant-ed for ships that switch off their diesel engines while berthing and instead use eco-friendly shore power generated from alternative energy sources or elec-tricity provided by so-called power barges. A second new discount of two per cent will be granted for ship operations that are particularly eco-friendly, i.e. for vessels that have been awarded with the “Blue Angel”.
The well-established ecolabel is awarded by the Federal Ministry of the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety and the Federal Environment Agency. Discounts for very large vessels and transhipment rebate To ensure that large vessels continue to call at the Port of Hamburg, the HPA will keep the discount for ultra-large vessels (ULCV) in place. The discount can save ship operators up to 3,000 euros.
The reference value used to calculate the “cap” discount was slightly increased by 5,000 gross tonnage (GT), which is still lower than the value based on by the major competing ports. The transhipment rebate will also remain in place. Due to the rebate a large percentage of the feeder cargo previously shipped via other ports has now been rerouted to Hamburg. Overall, the HPA assumes that the revenues generated from the port fees and charges will remain stable in 2015.
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