Christening the Alexander von Humboldt”

Mr Saadé and Family,

Mr Peters,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Christening a ship is always a very special occasion. It’s not something you see every day - not even as the Mayor of this city.

I am delighted that you have all gathered in the port of Hamburg so that together we can celebrate the christening of the Alexander von Humboldt”. You, Mr Saadé, the owner of this magnificent vessel; and all the other friends of ships and Hamburg port.

Ships’ christenings are special events - and today’s more than most, because this is not just any ship. This vessel now forms a trio with her sister ships - the Marco Polo”, which has already been welcomed in Hamburg, and the Jules Verne”; and for now she has the greatest carrying capacity of any container ship in the world - 16,000 TEU.

And so it was a huge honour for this city to be asked to suggest a name for your new ship. And to host the christening céremony here in our port. Our 2nd mayor and senator for science and research, Dorothee Stapelfeldt, will be naming the ship.

The scientist Alexander von Humboldt, for whom this ship is named, antícipated globalized communication in its widest sense. As a researcher he was part of a global network, corresponding with scores of académics and organizing exchanges between people in the scientífic field. For this and his scientific studies he was universally admired and recognized. The most perfect form of global communication is seafaring.

Many of you, Ladies and Gentlemen, are no strangers to the sea and shipping. But how often does one have the chance to get so close to a ship like this one? Standing here, we can really grasp the true dimensions of this giant: she is 396 metres long and 54 metres wide. You could fit fifteen Olympic-size swimming pools onto her deck.

But the Alexander von Humboldt” will have to do without, because she is to carry more than 16,000 containers instead. If they were laid end to end we could walk on them all the way to - well, not China, but certainly to Kiel. This ship will make scheduled crossings between Asia and Northern Europe, together with her two sister ships of identical construction. These three 16,000 TEU ships, and five more belonging to the CMA CGM shipping company, travel from Shanghai to Hong Kong, then past the southern tip of India, through the Suez Canal to Malta and Tangier before heading into the Atlantic, sailing around western Europe as far as Southampton, and from there to Rotterdam, Bremerhaven and, finally, Hamburg.

Your shipping company, Mr Saadé, brings us a great many containers even though the Alexander von Humboldt”, for the time being, will not enter port laden. You still account for more of the 8.9 million standard containers that are handled every year in Hamburg port than any other single company. At any given time, more than 100 million containers are en route somewhere on the seven seas.

It is no surprise that ships are chosen to transport over 90 per cent of the world’s freight. Shipping is 

what makes global trade as we know it today possible. This one will be playing an important role. 

The Alexander von Humboldt” was built at the Daewoo yards in Korea, and tested in Hamburg - as a model in the Ship Model Basin. Trials were performed to optimize the interaction between propeller, engine and hull. And now you can see the result.

The ship is designed for daily travel on long shipping routes. She uses 12 per cent less fuel per standard container than older ships, and is thus more economical and environment friendly. Putting into port will also be less costly because, since the introduction of an environment rating the year before last, port fees for low-emission ships have been reduced.

Our aim is to keep economic and technical requirements in sight while presérving the environmental balance in the port and hinterland. Therefore we want to reduce ships’ emissions even further. One way to do this is to supply 

shore power when a ship is in port. It goes without saying that the Alexander von Humboldt” has been fitted with a shore power connection. 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

This vessel has a 16-metre draught, which brings us to another important issue for our port - deepening the Elbe. With regard to the pending main action, we are confident that the Federal Administrátive Court will rule in favour of the project. All ships transporting freight down the Elbe into the port must have an unhindered passage. The impact of further deepening has been thoroughly examined; the EU Commission and neighbouring states have given their consent.

It is a fact that more and more large ships are sailing into Hamburg. They need special assistance when approaching a port. Our upgraded traffic management system is state of the art and the headcount at Hamburg Port Authority’s Nautical Centre has been increased. Even when large ships approach one another, their movements can be coordinated in optimum manner.

The future of Hamburg and the region, as well as the supply of goods to large áreas of Germany and countries further up-river, is essentially dependent on shipping. So we create the best possible business conditions in Hamburg, which allow the maritime economy to thrive and keep the city on its international course. 

We know that global trade is less dynamic than it was and shipping is facing difficult times. Over-capacity is straining the market. Muted demand contrasts with a growing supply of tonnage. That also affects Hamburg port, it would be strange if it didn’t. But I am very optimistic that in the medium term, growth will return to the port.

I would like to thank you personally, Mr Saadé, for your vote of confidence in Hamburg port. We are proud that you, the CEO of the world’s third-biggest shipping company and operator of 400 ships, value our port’s infrastrúcture and its hinterland connections. We shall look forward to seeing the Alexander von Humboldt” at regular intervals - every eight weeks to be precise - when she makes her scheduled calls at Hamburg port. 

I’m looking forward to that.

The spoken word applies.