As of: May 8, 2024 12:14 p.m
The organizers of the harbor birthday are expecting hundreds of thousands of visitors again. The nature conservation association NABU complains that the fine dust pollution during the celebration is very high due to the many ships.
Many people travel to Hamburg especially for the port birthday. It is therefore an important event for tourism in the city. Environmentalists, on the other hand, consider it to be “completely out of time”.
NABU: “Air pollution in the port”
“We keep calling for the port anniversary to be more sustainable and there are always conflicting goals. The city always acts as if it takes all sustainability aspects into account,” says Malte Siegert, managing director of NABU Hamburg. He also criticizes the tractor ballet, in which “5,000 hp machines blow a lot of fuel again.” The many large and small ships powered by fossil fuels “are damaging the climate and, above all, polluting the air on the northern edge of the harbor.”
Shipping companies on a growth path
Particularly criticized: cruise shipping. The main season has been running since April. After the end of the pandemic years, the large shipping companies see themselves on a growth path again. “The topic of shipping companies and cruises to and from Hamburg – there is a big development to be seen: On the land side, the city is doing a lot here in terms of supplying the ships. But also the shipping companies. In this respect, we see the shipping companies’ commitment as positive overall, even if goals have now been postponed,” says Sascha Albertsen, Head of Communications at Hamburg Tourismus GmbH. Malte Siegert from Nabu replies: “I find it strange that a shipping company is being highlighted with a drone show that has just postponed its climate goals from 2040 to 2050.”
Sustainability on the NGO mile
The topic of sustainability is now also on the agenda: “This year, for example, the topic of sustainability is being discussed at an NGO mile for the first time,” says Albertsen. The topic of events is becoming more sustainable and concepts are also being implemented there to reduce the footprint.
Sustainability not a priority
But sustainability is not the top priority for most visitors, but rather the mood. And gradually the city fills with visitors from all directions. “We are expecting many, many visitors from Hamburg, from the metropolitan region and also from outside the city. And the port anniversary is a really important driving force for Hamburg economically, also in terms of visitor numbers,” said Albertsen.
Nabu: “Fireworks are no longer appropriate”
Malte Siegert, on the other hand, counters: “You can of course celebrate the port’s birthday because it is also a tourist event for the city. We would have liked to have just done a laser show or just one with drones. Now you do a drone show and a To be honest, I don’t think that classic fireworks are up to date anymore.”
Further information
Hamburg is celebrating its 835th port anniversary. Pictures, videos and information about the folk festival in the Hanseatic city. more
The background is that the shipping company Hapag-Lloyd no longer wants to come to Hamburg with very large container freighters in the future. (01/22/2024) more
According to a study, cruise ships in the port produce about as much sulfur oxides as all cars in the Hanseatic city. (06/16/2023) more
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Hamburg Journal | April 7, 2022 | 19:30 o’clock