Balanced Logistics

What aim is HHLA subsidiary METRANS pursuing with HHLA Pure?

METRANS’ core mission is the transport of containers from seaport to hinterland and vice versa. METRANS thereby shifts container transport from road to rail, making a significant contribution to climate protection in the process.

We want to use HHLA Pure as leverage to make a positive impact on the climate and reduce transport-related CO₂ emissions. HHLA Pure is reviewed annually by TÜV Nord, which certifies the climate neutrality of our container transport.

How does HHLA Pure work exactly, and what makes it so climate-friendly?

METRANS already uses energy-efficient electric trains and CO₂-optimised lightweight flat wagons, which can transport more containers on trains of the same length. This reduces energy consumption. Noise emissions have also been minimised thanks to low-noise disc brakes.

All unavoidable CO₂ emissions are offset through HHLA Pure with so-called emissions reduction certificates. In its offsetting activities, HHLA supports climate-friendly projects that are certified according to the Gold Standard, the highest standard of Voluntary Emission Reduction: these include wind farms in India, low-friction anti-fouling paint for ship hulls and reforestation of rainforests in Panama.

To what extent are the wagons CO₂-optimised? Can you give us some figures?

METRANS lightweight flat wagons are about 30 % lighter than the average rolling stock in Europe. This allows us to load more containers and significantly reduce CO₂ emissions. If, for example, a fully loaded train is travelling from the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder in the Port of Hamburg to Warsaw, transport using METRANS lowers its CO₂ emissions by about 45 %.

How has the service been received by your customers?

We began with a pilot phase which allowed us to win two important logistics players, forwarding companies cargo-partner and the Weets Group. Other logistics service providers have since discovered HHLA Pure for themselves and integrated it into their sustainability strategies as part of their efforts to create environmentally friendly transport chains.

We provide HHLA Pure customers with certification that verifies the climate neutrality of our transport and the offset CO₂ emissions. This enables our customers to attest to their commitment to climate protection.

Is climate-neutral container transport available throughout the entire METRANS rail network?

No, but across most of the METRANS network. HHLA Pure is currently available on all connections to and from Hamburg, Bremerhaven and Koper, and we will integrate more links in the near term. We also intend to offer HGV pre- and on-carriage through HHLA Pure in the very near future. This will enable our customers to offer carbon-neutral transport even over the last mile.

In order to keep the imported exotic fruits fresh, the cold chain may not be broken when discharging the cargo from the container. As a result, O’Swaldkai uses the latest technical ship-handling and ground-handling equipment, which transports the foodstuffs immediately to air-conditioned storage bays. The bananas and other fruit are stored there for the time being.

In addition to one of the most advanced refrigerated warehouses for banana handling in the world, capable of housing 8,000 pallets, HHLA Frucht primarily shows off its innovative credentials in terms of space-efficient storage. A fully automated high-bay warehouse boosts storage capacity by 66 % to 16,300 m²sup>. This means the automated high bay can accommodate more than 3,000 additional pallets of bananas in the same space.

Ensuring space-efficient and thus sustainable planning of terminal processes is one of HHLA’s core concerns. As such, the fully automated high-bay warehouse for banana handling at HHLA Frucht is part of the “Balanced Logistics” sustainability strategy, which states, among other things, that existing space must be used as efficiently as possible.

With this aim, HHLA supports the European Union’s Resource Strategy to put a stop to the increasing use of land and achieve the transition to circular land use. It’s a key aspect for a terminal operator right in the heart of Hamburg. After all, the amount of usable space and area available for development is limited here.

In order to further reduce energy consumption and CO₂ emissions, HHLA is testing hybrid straddle carriers. Two of these hybrid straddle carriers have been in use as part of a test at the HHLA Container Terminal Tollerort (CTT) since 2019. Another hybrid straddle carrier has already completed its test run at the HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB). The energy-efficient technology of these battery-hybrid straddle carriers reduces diesel consumption by a further 25%.

The principle behind the hybrid technology is very simple: The straddle carrier stores surplus energy, which is generated during braking or while the load is being lowered, for example, in a high-performance lithium-ion battery. As it drives, the hybrid straddle carrier uses this energy from the battery. This significantly reduces diesel consumption.

HHLA and Konecranes, the manufacturer of the hybrid straddle carriers used at CTT, are united by a lasting partnership that has often resulted in pioneering work in launching innovative container handling solutions. The latest generation of hybrid straddle carriers has made clear the enormous potential that their further development offers. In under two decades, energy consumption has been halved.

After the successful test phase, HHLA is continuing to expand the hybrid straddle carrier fleet and has already ordered 18 additional hybrid straddle carriers. The first two have been in use at CTT since December 2020 and two more followed at the start of the new year. The 14 remaining hybrid straddle carriers will be supplied by Konecranes in the coming months.

What do you find most interesting about working with bees?

I find insects in general really fascinating. They work in a completely different way to mammals. How they assign jobs, organise themselves. Every bee knows what it has to do. Every bee has its place, and every bee is equal – no matter how slow or hard-working it is. By watching bees, we can understand nature and learn from it. I just find that extremely interesting.

How did it come to pass that your bees moved to the Container Terminal Altenwerder?

I read an article by your sustainability officer Mr Pietsch in the HHLA staff magazine “Wat Loppt?”. HHLA wanted to promote biodiversity within the port by introducing bee colonies – so I got in touch. That’s five years ago now.

Do the bees mind their unusual environment?

No. For the bees, there’s nothing unusual about it – it’s just home. Just like humans, bees are very capable of adapting. If they were bothered by it, they would move out.

How big is the bee colony at CTA? And how many hives do you look after throughout Hamburg?

Usually, there is one colony within a hive, but sometimes there are two colonies in a single hive. At CTA, each hive contains one colony, so we have ten colonies here in total. The size of a colony depends on the time of year. In winter, there are up to 15,000 bees in the colony, while in summer this number rises to up to 50,000 bees. So that means up to 500,000 bees are buzzing around between all the containers during the summer.

How many do I have in total? Well, a beekeeper never tells! Partly because there are different counting methods, which means that the number itself tells us very little. But I don’t reveal the location of my hives because, sadly, they are all too often stolen or destroyed. Here at the CTA, my bees are really safe. It’s a secured area with guards and CCTV, so nothing can happen to them.

Up to 500,000 bees – you must have suffered a sting or two, right? What’s the best way of treating a bee sting?

I always get asked this! Yes, I have been stung a fair few times. This morning, for example, a bee got me on the back of my hand. As a result, I always have a low dose of bee venom in my body, which helps against rheumatism, it’s said. So, I’ll never get rheumatism. Bee venom has an immediate effect on the body, right after you are stung. I can deal with it pretty well.

And to anyone asking me what the best remedy is for a bee sting, I always say: the best remedy is not to go near the bees.

How old can bees get?

It varies widely. The colony comprises the queen bee; she can grow to be five years old and she is responsible for reproduction. She can lay twice her own body weight in eggs. Then there are the drones, the male bees. They only live during the swarm season, from around April to August. Drones cannot sting, by the way. And then there are the workers, which live for just five to six weeks.

What do bees eat in the winter?

The hive comprises various areas. At the top, we find the honey supers, from which we harvest the honey. Underneath is the hive body, which is for the brood but also serves as a way of storing food for the winter. Bees keep producing honey even after the last harvest, such as from clematis or dandelion, for example. But I don’t take this honey from them. I also supplement it with sugar water. For the winter, bees need around one jar of honey per month.

How long does it take for pollen to become honey?

Pollen doesn’t make honey – nectar does. The pollen is carried from plant to plant as the bee flies around, which is what pollinates the flowers. The bees suck the nectar from the flowers, enrich it with enzymes and then deposit it in the honeycomb in the hive. It takes two to three weeks to turn into honey.

Where do the bees at CTA collect their nectar? There aren’t any flowers growing between the containers!

The bees won’t be able to find much nectar at the quayside, that is true – perhaps a bit of dandelion here and there. In the spring, they generally collect it from the orchards of Moorburg and Altenwerder. In summer, they collect nectar from all the linden trees around here, but also from the centre of Moorburg. There are also some brownfield sites and renaturation sites around the CTA, where the bees can find rotting trees, as well as raspberry and blackberry bushes.

Does the HHLA honey Hafengold taste of the port? How would you describe the taste of HHLA honey?

The taste of honey varies from year to year and largely depends on the amount of sunshine and the temperature. Climate change and milder winters are leading to honeys acquiring a more resinous, caramel flavour. Dandelion results in floral, fruity notes. HHLA Hafengold has exactly this fruity quality.

How often do you harvest honey from the hives every year? And what makes a good honey year?

Generally, I harvest it once or twice a year: once in the spring, and once in the summer. Of course, it largely depends on the weather. If we have a bad spring, I only harvest honey in summer and that’s it for the year.

We also separate our honey by location. Because our locations feature lots of different plants, our location-based honeys are always multifloral – just like the Hafengold that we harvest at the CTA. The different locations are what make our Hamburg honeys so varied and interesting. There is no other foodstuff that reflects the local taste of our city so authentically.

We often read about bees dying. How do you assess the situation in Hamburg?

I’m often asked about this. Bees are dying! Most people are unaware that 75 percent of the animals on our planet are insects. Humans often see bees and insects as a nuisance, but actually it’s us humans who are the nuisance to the insects. We should be aware that we need bees in order to live, but they don’t need us.

If we have a balcony or garden, what can we do for the bees?

Plants that are known nectar sources are good for bees. These are plants that are particularly rich in pollen and nectar, such as oil-seed rape, lavender, cornflowers or sunflowers. But bees also love herbs such as thyme, sage and lemon balm. Leaving parts of the garden to grow wild creates a very important habitat for bees, offering them plenty of cosy hidey-holes.