Mr. Saadé,
Senator Horch,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I thank you very much for your invitation to the International Maritime Museum. We are meeting in a place that tells of the past. Nowhere else can you dip so deeply into the magnificent history of seafaring. In this oldest existing building in Hamburgs harbour, the tradition and economic power of the Hanseatic League become tangible.
And so its a place of the future, too. Because we intend to continue the history of the port of Hamburg and the history of seafaring.
From here you have a good view of the harbour cranes in the container terminal if its not raining. The area around this building, the HafenCity, is preparing for new times. Here you can watch the development of an urban planning project that is currently the biggest in Europe. And it has a lot in common with what is happening in Marseilles at present, too. Modernizing the port facilities, putting old industrial sites to new use: all that is familiar to you. I visited Euroméditerranée last year and I was very impressed.
Marseilles already has a new landmark: I have impressive memories of the tower of the CMA CGA headquarters, and Im looking forward to seeing how the city develops. Since 1958, Marseilles and Hamburg have been sister cities with numerous links.
And we shall go on enlarging this network: economics and politics hand in hand. By land, sea and air. Since March, direct flights have shortened the distance between our two cities. Our Train of Ideas visited Marseilles, with visions for the cities of the future on board.
In any case we are linked by the waterways and their economic significance. The first container vessels came into being at about the same time as our sister-city arrangement. The first tin boxes were sent over the oceans a good fifty years ago; now, millions and millions of them are constantly on their travels. 4.4 million TEUs have been handled in Hamburg the first six months 2012 only. Many of them are brought here by you, Mr. Saadé through CMA CGM.
There is no alternative to Hamburg as a port for Bavaria, Prague or Vienna either. We are the second-largest container harbour in Europe. And to make sure it stays that way we maintain our roads and waterways and are even extending the network. The future of this city and its metropolitan region depends on shipping. So we are creating optimal conditions, so that the maritime economy can develop vigorously and we can keep on course internationally.
Container ships have become larger for reasons of economy, and these vessels have to be able to carry their cargo along the river Elbe and into the harbour without restrictions. So Im glad to say our constant efforts in this matter have been successful, and that the EU and our north German neighbour states have agreed to the dredging of the Elbe navigation channel.
The new generation of giant container ships will be able to call at the port of Hamburg without obstacles and on favourable terms. Im expecting the excavators and dredgers to arrive before the end of this year. All in all, the work will take about two years, but its likely that the first improvements in the approach to Hamburg Harbour will be available to shipping after about six months.
All waterways come up against land at some point. In our case, freight can already continue its journey quite well by road and rail after arriving by sea. A harbour is only as efficient as its connections to its hinterland; that is why we are pushing ahead with extending the road and rail network in Hamburg, in the Hamburg region and in the whole of north Germany.
We are appealing to the Federal Government for more relief lines in north Germany; the city is included in the trans-European transport network planning. And Hamburg Harbour will be more accessible by road, too, when the Lübeck-Bremen and Flensburg-Hanover motorways are connected by the Hafenquerspange the harbour link road.
In a few years time, road and rail connections will bring Scandinavia closer to Hamburg too. The Fehmarn Belt Fixed Link between Denmark and Germany, agreed under an interstate treaty, will make Hamburg an even more important turntable for Scandinavia. And of course we shall benefit by the enlargement of the Kiel Canal.
So we are sailing before the wind, with a clear destination in mind and a good measure of optimism for the future.
Shipbuilding is facing major challenges throughout the world, of course I only have to mention over-capacity, falling prices for new buildings and growing problems with financing but that in no way dampens our optimism.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Mr. Saadé,
Culture means a lot to you, and I would like to take this opportunity of thanking you most warmly for your magnificent support of the performance of our Thalia Theatre at this years theatrical festival in Avignon; it was, in fact, the first guest performance of a Hamburg theatre in the 66-year history of the festival.
As the European Capital of Culture in 2013, Marseilles will doubtless be one of the next places many people in Hamburg will wish to visit. There they will experience the past and future of a city that is quite different from Hamburg and yet so similar.
Thank you.
The spoken word applies.