At HHLA Container Terminal Burchardkai (CTB), the company is focussing on a different part of the transport chain. In the same way as at CTA, battery-operated, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) will be responsible for horizontal container transport at the first deep-water berth.

Already in operation around the clock, the vehicles will not only gradually replace diesel-powered van carriers and thus reduce emissions in terminal operations but will also stabilise and expand transshipment services. This will be increasingly important when large container ships deliver vast quantities in short time spans or there are significant fluctuations in the markets.

The projects at the Hamburg ports do not provide a blueprint that can be fully adopted by other ports because there are vast differences between the structure of the terminals, cargo volumes, technical infrastructure and work organisation.

Nevertheless, the approach can be copied: HHLA combines technology, data, processes and qualification, as well as incorporating the employees at an early stage. This is more time-consuming than simply ordering new systems.

However, it increases the possibility that the systems will also work smoothly during everyday operation, meaning that the port will never been completely deserted. People will take on other duties: They will control, monitor, decide and intervene if standardised operations no longer suffice. The focus of work will shift from the crane cab to remote control centre and, thus, from the individual device to the overall system.

No deserted port

The new jobs can reduce physical strain and create roles for a larger group of people, whilst ergonomic conditions and development opportunities also help in the competition for skilled workers. At the same time, there is a growing demand for system understanding, communication skills and the ability to make decisions. For example, remote operators need to be in a position to evaluate several sources of in-formation at the same time and take action if automation reaches its limits.

As ever fewer people work directly with equipment, monitoring and responsibility will become more important, Qualifications and further training have long been part of port operations. However, new job profiles are bringing them even more into focus and require new content and modern learning formats.

gantry crane operators completed the training for remote control in early 2026

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The joint project PortSkill 4.0 systematically examined how digitalisation and automation change operational, technical and administrative tasks. The project partners also analysed new roles and determined which areas of expertise port operations will require in the future, with port companies, educational institutions, trade and industry associations all working together. Public funding enabled the construction of a new training centre at the Altenwerder site. The insights gained there will extend beyond a single company.

The DigiRemote2030 project applies this approach to the remote control of container gantry cranes. Using a simulator, staff can practise in realistic conditions before controlling a system in operations. In early 2026, around 70 gantry crane operators passed the simulator training.

The weight of the new gantry cranes

1,650t

The transition changes responsibilities far beyond the remote control centre. Even banksmen, supervisors, lashers and other staff will one day work at other interfaces, with new information and modified responsibilities, which is why HHLA has begun offering training, before new systems kick off regular operations.

Training before actual operations

For that reason, automation requires clear areas of responsibility and rehearsed processes for failures. The technology and operating model need to be developed together. Simply replacing equipment could transfer existing problems to a new system. Krawutschke will discuss the potential and limitations of automated transshipment processes as part of the “Autonomous Cargo Handling – How far can Port Automation go?” panel during the ALL ABOUT PORTS event on 3 September. He believes that other ports can learn one thing in particular from the Hamburg example: how not to break down transformation into individual technology projects. He sees additional opportunities in standardised interfaces, scalable system architectures and energy-efficient operations.

In his experience, the biggest friction losses rarely develop in highly visible systems. They generally occur in the connection between information technology, processes, interfaces and operational responsibilities. It is not only large technical failures that result in a loss of throughput at the terminal. Unclear rules for exceptional cases, incomplete data and poorly coordinated handovers can also slow down operations. It is precisely during periods of high time pressure that an automated system shows whether it can deliver on its promises.

The height in metres of the new automated container gantry cranes with the boom raised

120m

Patrick Krawutschke, Managing Director of HPC Hamburg Port Consulting, is familiar with the challenge from two perspectives. He advises terminal operators involved in automation projects and was once himself in charge of Container Terminal Altenwerder. He warns against equating automation with the installation of modern technology. “Automation at HHLA reveals one thing in particular: rather than a technology project – or a guarantee of performance – automation is an integrated transformation process. What ultimately matters is not the modernity of individual systems but rather whether the system as a whole operates properly in real conditions – in other words, at peak times, during disruptions and under daily operational pressure.”

It is the exceptions that count

The automation goes through different stages at the CTA and CTB terminals. Whereas HHLA is modernising the interface between ship and quay at the already highly automated terminal in Altenwerder, it is currently reorganising some of horizontal transport system during full-time operations at Burchardkai.

That said, both projects do follow the same logic: it is the interplay of the system, software, data and organisation working in concert that achieves the desired boost in productivity. New equipment alone cannot automate terminal operations.

new AGVs for the CTB

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semi-automated container gantry cranes for the CTA by 2030

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By 2030, HHLA intends to replace its container gantry cranes at Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) with highly automated models. The terminal operator commissioned the first three in February 2026, whilst three additional cranes of the same design arrived at CTA in early April.

Each of the new cranes weighs in at 1,650 tonnes and, with the boom raised, stands 120 metres tall. When lowered, the boom spans vessels with up to 22 rows of containers, side by side. Automated loading and unloading steps and an optical character recognition system capture container data and transmit them directly to terminal systems.

With the modernisation project, Jeroen Eijsink, Chief Executive Officer of HHLA, is following a clear business objective: “With our automation measures, we plan to increase the performance, efficiency and reliability of container handling over the long term, which will ultimately allow us to continue providing our customers at Hamburg ports with premium services in the future.”

Better performance, increased process reliability

What is missing is the direct physical feedback from the crane. Seated inside the cab, you can feel the rattling and juddering if a container bumps into something. The operator at the remote control centre needs to be able to recognise situations like this using images and system notifications. As the workplace grows more comfortable, the task does not necessarily get any easier. As changes in the control process also translate to changes in procedures, data streams, tasks and responsibilities at the terminal, the move from the cab to the office represents a much bigger transformation. Automation is not restricted to individual pieces of equipment. However, it affects the entire port operation system.

The crane operator is looking at several screens all at once, his hand on the joystick. The monitors show a container being lowered onto the ship with centimetre precision. The operator is not perched high above the quay but seated inside an office at HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA). Using the simulator at the digital training centre, experienced port workers are learning how to operate new container gantry cranes from afar. The difference to earlier systems is immediately visible – the new cranes are no longer fitted with a cab. Cameras capture what is happening on board and on the quayside, transmitting the information to the remote control centre, where staff can work in a more ergonomic environment, protected from wind, rain and cold.

The new generation of container gantry cranes arrived in Hamburg from Ireland, partly assembled, on board the specialised vessel ‘ZHONG REN 122’.