Ro-Ro installation at Kiel’s Ostuferhafen

The pontoon-feeder for the ferry aft ramps, weighing 1,800 tonnes, was floated into position and moored.

Dr Dirk Claus, managing director at Seehafen Kiel GmbH & Co KG said: “The new Ro-Ro device is another milestone in extending Kiel’s freight and logistic activities. From now on, cargo vessels can be loaded both via the ramp as well as by using two port cranes at Berth No. 1.”

The heart of the revamped Ro-Ro facility is the buoyant pontoon, carrying the 32 m wide track, installed on a steel deck, for all kind of rolling cargo and serving as support surface for the aft ramps of the ferry vessels. A 23 m long and new bridge connects the pontoon with the quay wall in a flexible way so that loading and unloading the vessels is possible any time, no matter how the water levels might change. The new bridge can bear an axle load of up to 100 tonnes, extending options for handling heavy special cargo as well as mass general cargo.

The new Ro-Ro bridge is part of a project valued at some €5.4m, which is subsidized by the state of Schleswig-Holstein with funds from the German Federation. The project also comprises the already completed adaption of the water depth at Berth No. 1 to a constant 10 m as well as a stronger fender system along the quay wall. The project approval procedure is underway to integrate an area of four hectares into the port premises next year.

Seehafen Kiel GmbH & Co KG is a 100 % subsidiary of the State Capital of Kiel and operates the port by public order. The Ostuferhafen is the freight centre of the port, where ferry connections to Eastern Europe are also concentrated. Last year, more than three million tons of cargo were handled in Ostuferhafen for the first time, challenging the capacity limits of the harbour.