The Port of Hamburg has seen a 60% rise in the number of ultra large vessels calling at its docks from 621 in 2008 to 989.

This increase comes alongside the creation of the Nautical Terminal Coordination (NTK) which has allowed operators to cope with the increased traffic and replace some services previously provided by the Vessel Traffic Service Centre.

Praising the role of the NTK, Peter Zielinski, Managing Director of EUROGATE Container Terminal Hamburg, outlined the important role it plays in monitoring interdependency of ship entries in Northern Europe and the identification of conflict situations to reduce the impact on the port system.

Source: Port Finance International