Through energy-efficient terminal technology, environmentally friendly transport and sustainable solutions, we have already reduced our carbon emissions by more than 42 per cent since 2018. The following examples illustrate how we achieved this. We are commited to continuing along this path by reducing the Group’s carbon emissions by at least 50 per cent by 2030 and achieving climate-neutral operations by 2040. “We provide particularly low-emission or even emission-free transport and handling services. In turn, these low emission figures help our clients to indirectly reduce their carbon footprint.” explains Jan Hendrik Pietsch, Head of Sustainability at HHLA.

Read here how sustainability is practiced at HHLA 

Back in 2019, HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) was certified as climate-neutral for the first time with unavoidable emissions being offset by means of compensation projects. It was the world’s first container handling facility to be awarded the corresponding quality mark by TÜV NORD. Since then, CTA has been able to further cut carbon emissions, from an initial figure of 20,963 tonnes to 4,389 tonnes (2024).

The illustration shows how almost all areas of the terminal have now been electrified. This is the basis for operating the facility’s handling and transport resources and all other equipment using only green electricity. However, this only relates to our own technology. The trucks and shunting locomotives belonging to our clients and partners are beyond our direct control. Some of the onshore processes have not yet been completely changed over as manufacturers of special vehicles continue to convert and test their product lines – in some cases in close cooperation with HHLA.

From the outside, the new straddle carrier hardly looks any different. However, the view from above reveals the hydrogen fuel cell.

Green electricity or hydrogen: what will ultimately replace diesel? The answer is still uncertain, particularly in the case of heavy ground-handling vehicles. HHLA does not claim to know the future either, which is why it is testing both alternatives.

At its Hamburg Container Terminal Tollerort (CTT), straddle carriers transport steel boxes from the container gantry cranes to the warehouse and back, load them onto trucks or take them to the train station. Since autumn 2025, one of these long-legged carriers is running on emission-free hydrogen fuel cell technology. The Konecranes model’s first real-world tests show that the system responds quickly and the handling operations are capable of delivering the same performance as comparable diesel hybrid versions. 

A standout feature of the vehicle is its modular drive system, which can be flexibly converted to run on diesel, electricity or hydrogen by making just a few adjustments. The straddle carrier refuels at the hydrogen filling station at CTT. The process is similar to the conventional methods, generating operational synergies and making integration into everyday workflows seamless.

Where is Germany at? As of 1 January 2025, around 92,300 electric commercial vehicles were registered in Germany, which corresponds to 2.4% of the total fleet. Diesel is still clearly dominant on German roads, but there is a growing trend towards e-trucks.

In the area of rail transport, METRANS, HHLA’s intermodal subsidiary, has been embracing environmentally friendly solutions for several years. In September 2025, after conducting some tests, it also turned its attention to the “last mile”. Since then, six Volvo trucks in Prague have formed the largest fleet of fully electric trucks in the Czech Republic.

The new vehicles are primarily used for first- and last-mile deliveries in and around urban areas, where measures to reduce noise and emissions are particularly important and effective. This represents another step towards a more sustainable European transport infrastructure. Peter Kiss, CEO of METRANS, wishes to demonstrate that economic success and environmental responsibility can go hand in hand.

This commitment applies not only to METRANS, but also for the HHLA subsidiary CTD. The Hamburg-based container truck specialist has been using e-trucks for some time, and not just for the last mile. In the Stuttgart area, they are used for distances up to 150 kilometres, while in and around Hamburg they can cover 250 kilometres providing regional transport services.

“In using their new vehicles, both companies are gaining valuable practical experience that can be incorporated into HHLA’s overall strategy,” explains Lars Neumann, General Representative for Intermodal at HHLA. In addition, the newly established company hubload aims to accelerate efforts to make charging power available at attractive prices through its own charging infrastructure. “We are thus increasing our competitiveness while making an effective contribution to reducing harmful emissions,” says Neumann.

Compared to Germany, other European countries have already advanced significantly in electrifying road transport (see chart). Germany will follow suit for various reasons,” predicts Neumann. “Firstly, toll exemption and new financing models for e-trucks increase their profitability. Moreover, the manufacturers of electric commercial vehicles are ramping up production, leading to lower prices, which are currently still high. The charging infrastructure is also improving rapidly, and we at HHLA want to play our part here.”

“The shoreside electricity supply represents an important step towards decarbonising global logistics chains. We are looking forward to our clients soon being able to use a low-emission energy supply during lay times, making it possible to decarbonise another part of the supply chains.”

Jan Hendrik Pietsch, Head of Corporate Sustainability at HHLA

Cruise ships led the way, now container vessels are also getting shore power.

The electricity from the public grid must be converted in a transformer station (1) before it can be used by ships via a huge, mobile “socket” (2). 

Ships consume a great deal of energy, and not just on the high seas. Many essential on-board functions must still be maintained while they are docked in the port. Most merchant ships use an auxiliary diesel engine for this purpose. Large container vessels therefore consume about 14 tonnes of marine fuel (low-sulphur marine gas oil) during a two-day stay.

The carbon dioxide and other pollutants emitted in the process will no longer be released into Hamburg’s air in the future. What has long been possible for cruise ships in Hamburg over the years will soon also be accessible to container vessels – a green energy supply using shore power. About 72,000 kWh of electricity from renewable sources could then cover the energy demand instead of the aforementioned amount of diesel.

This will become mandatory from 1 January 2030. The EU has passed a regulation that requires passenger and container ships over 5,000 GT to be supplied with shoreside electricity in every port of a member state. However, Hamburg wants to be “shore power-ready” much sooner.

The Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) is investing a total of 100 million euros in creating the necessary infrastructure. The technology needed to supply the mega-ship berths has already been installed at all four of the port’s container terminals, with HHLA operating three of them. Some shipping companies – such as MSC, Maersk and ONE – have already started supplying their ships with shore power. There are plans to expand the technology over the coming years to include the short sea shipping segment so that shore power will be available for all required ship sizes by 2030.

Can you start by explaining what is meant by “grey energy”?
It describes the energy that was used when constructing the Speicherstadt 140 years ago, for instance, and is stored in the buildings. On average, this accounts for 50 per cent of the energy over the entire life cycle of a property. The longer a building is used, the better it is for the environment. 

If that is the case, why are so many existing properties being demolished?
Many owners find it almost impossible to calculate the cost of a major renovation project due to the ever stricter norms and standards governing the energy efficiency of buildings. They therefore often take the supposedly easier option of demolishing the structure and building a new one. But in view of the increasingly scarce resources and rapidly rising prices in the construction industry, there is a long-term cost-effective strategy: major renovation works to bring the building to a climate-neutral standard. 

Do you embrace this strategy at HHLA Real Estate?
Yes, because we are pursuing the ambitious goal of converting the Speicherstadt, which we manage and rent, into an energy-efficient, carbon-neutral district by 2040. Together with the authority responsible for the environment and energy in Hamburg, we are looking for ways to generate renewable energy locally while also taking into account economic efficiency and the preservation of historical buildings.

In these 140-year-old buildings, that is surely not an easy task.
In the case of the Speicherstadt World Heritage Site, we need to take into account the strict requirements covering a listed building. A pioneering nationwide research project examined the available technical options. The joint project goes by the name of “Carbon-neutral World Heritage Speicherstadt Hamburg”. It was run in close cooperation with the Universities of Stuttgart, HCU Hamburg and the E.ON ERC in Aachen and funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy.

What were the results?
The final research report is still pending. However, we can already see that it is possible for us to achieve the research goal of carbon-neutral operations with solar thermal and solar PV systems on the roofs in the Speicherstadt in conjunction with storage facilities such as ice storage tanks or solid-state storage systems.

Highly efficient solar panels for roofs already exist. Are they not allowed to be used on a World Heritage Site?
There is a design statute for the Speicherstadt historical warehouse district in Hamburg that forbids any unsightly extensions or superstructures on roofs in the form of commercially available PV systems. As a consequence, roof coverings that generate solar energy were developed that resemble the copper and slate roof coverings typically found in the district. Hamburg’s Chief Planning Director and the Monument Protection Office have welcomed the results.

What other technologies are used to generate energy?
At the heart of the energy generation concept is an intelligent combination of solar thermal energy, ambient heat and solar PV systems. Heat pumps extract the energy, while storage systems store it for the heating demand period. Essential here is a building management system with a sophisticated concept for managing all components.

Will other real estate owners benefit from the research project?
Both HHLA and the research team from the participating universities also see considerable benefits for buildings that do not have listed status to be dealt with in a sensitive and, above all, sustainable manner.

Celebrations: In 2025, HHLA hosted a series of high-profile events to celebrate a decade as a World Heritage Site. Among others, a barge sailed through the spectacularly illuminated canals. On the Zollkanal promenade, our show container invited the public to explore the fascinating history of the Speicherstadt.

The Speicherstadt­museum is located in a former warehouse.

A particularly close relationship is maintained with the Speicherstadtmuseum. The authentic ambience of a warehouse from 1888 brings to life how imported goods such as coffee, tea, cocoa or spices were once stored in the Speicherstadt. Exhibits also reveal how the warehouse complex was planned and built.

HHLA has been supporting the museum’s work for decades by making the space available rent-free. The cooperation goes back a long way. It began with the anniversary exhibition “The Speicherstadt and historical buildings over the past 100 years”, which the Museum of Work held in 1988 on two floors in Block R of the Speicherstadt. On 26 May 1995, the Speicherstadtmuseum officially opened its doors and continues to operate under this name as a privately run satellite location of the Museum of Work and part of the Foundation of Historical Museums Hamburg.

Right from the start, our then CEO actively promoted the idea of permanently opening the Speicherstadt to visitors and placing it under monument protection. Since 1996, HHLA has continuously supported the museum by providing rent-free space–a reliable basis for the museum's work. 

Michael Fußner, Managing Director of HHLA Real Estate, is also committed to this tradition: “Our company was founded in 1885 to build the Speicherstadt. We therefore see it as our social responsibility to preserve the history of this unique quarter and make sure it is presented in an attractive manner.”

Taking into account the unique architectural style of the quarter, HHLA Real Estate set out at the turn of the millennium to carefully renovate the disused warehouse space and repurpose it. This development played its part in the Speicherstadt being named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015.

Since 2015, HHLA has been helping Hamburg’s primary school pupils discover the hidden world of the port through its sustainability project “Port Scouts”. Over the past ten years, nearly 13,000 children have taken part and become true port experts.
The project shows schoolchildren why the port is so important and how it influences their everyday lives. They experience one of the world’s most modern container terminals, the CTA, from the window of a tour bus. At the Port Museum, they explore the port’s history up close through hands-on activities, exciting stories, and fun knowledge quizzes. The children also learn how the physically demanding job of a traditional docker compares to today’s highly skilled port professions. In this way, the “Port Scouts” programme brings the port to life-past, present, and future.

More transport means more economic opportunities. In this spirit, HHLA’s consulting company HPC, together with Sellhorn Ingenieursgesellschaft, is supporting the Rwanda Transport Development Agency. The project focuses on Lake Kivu, a 90-kilometre-long lake that currently acts as a natural barrier to both passenger transport and regional trade. HPC and Sellhorn have developed a concept for a ferry and vessel transport system to overcome this challenge. The study evaluates the feasibility of high-speed water access between the key urban centres of Rubavu, Karongi, and Rusizi, as well as other subsidiary ports. The aim is to boost water-based connectivity within Rwanda and, in a second step, facilitate cross-border trade across Lake Kivu. In addition, the study examined whether the existing fleet of diesel-powered vessels could be replaced by modern vessel powered by locally produced CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) to reduce emissions and Rwanda's dependency on fuel imports.

Lukas Ahlf ist noch jung und hat bereits eine Menge Erfahrungen in der Praxis gesammelt, als ausgebildeter Elektroniker für Gebäudeenergietechnik und staatlich geprüfter Techniker bei den Stadtwerken Buxtehude. Doch die Theorie kam ihm zu kurz, und er möchte gerne seinen Horizont erweitern. Dazu wird ihm die HHLA in den nächsten Jahren Gelegenheit geben. 

Im Herbst 2025 hat er als erster Dualer Student des Unternehmens im Studiengang „Regenerative Energiesysteme und Energiemanagement“ an der HAW Hamburg begonnen. „Das ist genau mein Thema, und ich kann es jetzt aus der Perspektive eines Stromkunden betrachten“, sagt Ahlf. „Das ist etwas ganz anderes als ein Netzbetreiber wie die Stadtwerke.“

Seine ersten Einsätze auf den Containerterminals der HHLA haben ihn beeindruckt. „Da wird gigantische Technik eingesetzt, die beim Einsatz entsprechend hohe Stromschwankungen verursacht“, beschreibt er ganz im Stil eines Elektronikers. Er ist gespannt, wie die im Energiemanagement überall vorrückende Digitalisierung sich mit der konventionellen Technik verbinden lässt.

In seinem letzten Job durfte er ein Projekt zur Installation intelligenter Messsysteme leiten. Das passt gut, meint er: „Die HHLA steht für intelligente Lösungen, und da werde ich mich einbringen.“ Er will auf jeden Fall seine Chance ergreifen, im Hafen die Energiewende mitzugestalten.