Court upholds eco plea, stops Hamburg river dredging, boosts Wilhelmshaven

A LEIPZIG court has stopped the plans to dredge River Elbe that runs from Hamburg to the sea, which is considered a major blow to the port which needs deeper water to remain competitive.

The ruling is an assist for recently opened Wilhelmshaven terminal, which has no draught restrictions and is looking for customers, noted London's Containerisation International.

Having received planning approval, environmental groups went to court, and judges have ruled that work on the project must stop until the case is heard and the matter adjudicated, expected to be a lengthy process.

Under current plans, vessels with a draught of up to 14.5 metres would be able to leave Hamburg when riding the tide and 13.5 metres at low water.

Said environmental lobbyist Alexander Porschke of the Nabu group: "Port co-operation has to replace the race for subsidies among North Sea ports and the deepening of the river Elbe cannot be decided based solely on the interest of shipowners."