Expansion in Kiel's Ostuferhafen
Upgrading of RoRo ramps 5&6
and optimisation of routing
The seaport of Kiel is an important German hub for cargo traffic across the Baltic Sea. A large part of the freight is handled via the Ostuferhafen. In order to ensure even better competitiveness in the future, the maritime transport axis to the Baltic States is being supported by the state of Schleswig-Holstein with the upgrading of RoRo ramps and the optimisation of the routing in the Ostuferhafen with several million euros.
On Friday, 19th August 2022, Schleswig-Holstein's Minister of Economic Affairs Claus Ruhe Madsen presented Kiel's Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer, in the presence of PORT OF KIEL's Managing Director Dirk Claus, with a grant notification for funding from the state's economic programme with funds from the joint task "Improvement of the Regional Economic Structure" (GRW) in the amount of 6,709,011 euros. The handover took place at one of the funded RoRo ramps in the Ostuferhafen. This means that 60 per cent of the costs of just under 11.2 million euros will be funded. Minister of Economic Affairs Claus Ruhe Madsen: "My first visit to the Ostuferhafen impressed me. The state capital has gradually created a modern terminal here, whose sophisticated layout enables good performance and efficiency with the greatest possible safety for the traffic in front of and in the terminal. Above all, the new construction of the RoRo ramps, which paves the way for the latest generation of ferries to Kiel, sustainably increases the attractiveness and competitiveness of the port of Kiel."
"Kiel's Ostuferhafen has been on a successful course for many years and is now also a port of call for large cruise ships," said Lord Mayor Ulf Kämpfer. "However, the Ostuferhafen's core business is cargo traffic across the Baltic Sea, which will be further strengthened with this funded expansion of the RoRo ramps. I am very pleased that the state is once again generously supporting the expansion of the seaport with funding." The funded construction project "Ostuferhafen Kiel - Expansion of the maritime transport axis to the Baltic States by upgrading RoRo ramps and optimising routing" comprises two individual projects. Both pursue the goal of more efficient use of space and sustainable optimisation of the infrastructure in the Ostuferhafen. The optimisation of the routing will be achieved by improving the ground and renewing the track system in concrete. This will enable a continuous crossing of the tracks and thus there will be direct short routes between the northwest and southwest areas in the port.
The expansion of RoRo ramps 5 and 6 will enable the PORT OF KIEL to handle a new generation of ferries with wider ship ramps in the future. For this purpose, the fixed existing ramps were dismantled and replaced by hydraulically adjustable steel ramps. For almost 30 years, SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co KG has been the market leader on the routes to the Baltic States with the Danish shipping company DFDS. Currently, a slight decline in volumes is being recorded in Kiel in transhipment, which also includes Danish and German cargo. However, due to the close economic trade relations in the region, the special geographical insularity of the Baltic and a persistent driver shortage, SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG expects traffic to grow again in the future. Port CEO Dirk Claus looks ahead: "This construction project is not only a quality improvement at the terminal and a real investment in the future for transhipment to the Baltic, but also the first step in our extensive east bank expansion, which will further strengthen the supply function of SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG for European trade in the future."
Special thanks go to the many companies involved: Uhlmann (Kiel), Keller Grundbau (Hamburg), Glindemann Gruppe (Grevenkrug), Fredrich (Bremerhaven), North Sea Handling (Sweden), Karsten (Kiel) - as well as the planning & engineering firms involved in both projects: Petersen & Partner Ingenieure (Kiel), Grundbauingenieure Schnorr & Brauer (Kiel), ITT-Port-Consult (Laboe) and IFE-Morbach (Grömitz).