EUROPE • GERMANY
we have asked for over many years, that we are really acting on reflagging.’
On reflagging, GasChem Bremen has become the company’s biggest training ship – providing positions for at least four German trainees on board at the same time.
Hartmann reflags
Changes in German legislation were absolutely key to Hartmann Reederei’s decision to switch the 35,000cbm gas carrier GasChem Bremen from the Liberian flag to the German flag in March – and the company expects to reflag more vessels this year, according to md Michael Ippich.
Michael Ippich
to be more flexible – they made a lot of changes that are positive so that reflagging and sailing under the German flag is much easier. They had to catch up with other
international flag states and that is what they did.’
‘All three items – social insurance, payroll tax and adjustments to the safe manning certificate (the question of how many people you have on board the ships and how this is made up) – were major key items that had to be solved before it was worthwhile from a financial point of view to reflag vessels,’ Ippich explains to Seatrade.
‘There were two things – first, we needed the new legislation, which has been in place since the beginning of the year. Second, we needed the state authorities handling reflagging
Port of Hamburg
The Hartmann Group operates 150 vessels, including multipurpose, container and gas carriers; out of these 150, Hartmann Reederei, in Leer, operates a fleet of more than 60 vessels. There are a few other vessels under the German flag and more will follow, Ippich says, ‘because now it is worthwhile to bring them back to the German flag’.
‘I am convinced that other owners are looking at this as well and I hope very much they will go the same way as we do,’ says Ippich, ‘because the legislation gives us a five-year timeframe for us to prove to the authorities, which have delivered what
PHOTO: © HHM_GLAUBITT
As a group, Hartmann is moving forward successfully despite the tough market conditions, continues Ippich. The world’s largest ethane carrier, the 38,000cbm capacity GasChem Beluga – the first of Hartmann’s new ECO STAR 36k type – has been running successfully on ethane since November and the company currently has 85,000cbm ethane carriers under construction in China. Group chairman Alfred Hartmann also serves as president of the German Shipowners’ Association (VDR).
Port of Hamburg looks to the future
Port of Hamburg posted positive traffic results for 2016 with total throughput up 0.3% year-on-year to 138.2m tonnes and container volumes up 1% to 8.9m teu.
The port was particularly encouraged by a rise in the share of freight transported to/from its hinterland by rail to 46.6m tons (+1.5%) and 2.4m teu (+2.4%), which it said ‘further extended [Hamburg’s] position as Europe’s leading rail port.’
The port also recently secured landmark approval in principle by the German courts for further dredging of the Elbe river accessing the port, despite environmentalists’ objections. In addition, it has completed the redesign of its Vorhafen Harbour Basin entrance in order to provide more manoeuvring space for large container and cruise ships, faster berth assignment and improved safety of navigation.
HHLA, operator of three container terminals in the port, also recently announced plans to focus on digitalisation as a new business area. ‘HHLA is to be the engine of digital change in the Port of Hamburg,’ vowed chairwoman Angela Titzrath.
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seatrade-maritime.com Seatrade Maritime Review • Quarterly Issue 2 • June 2017 41
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