Dense fog at the mouth of the Elbe has stopped ship traffic into and out of Hamburg since early this morning. The Nordelbe Pilots' Association suspended boardings at the outer pilot station, and by late morning around forty ships were waiting at anchor in the German Bight. No incidents have been reported. We are updating this page as the fog lifts.
11:20 Reopening expected this afternoon
The pilots' association says it expects to resume boardings in the early afternoon if visibility above 800 metres holds for an hour. "The forecast is for the fog to burn off from the south," said spokesman Henning Brandt. "We will send the first pilots out as soon as the numbers allow. Nobody is going to rush it."
Once boardings resume, the waiting ships will enter in order of their arrival at the anchorage, with priority for ships carrying passengers or perishable cargo. Clearing the backlog is likely to take until tomorrow morning.
10:40 Terminal reshuffles its berths
Elbufer Container Terminal, which expected four ships today, has moved its crane gangs from the empty quay to the yard. Workers are using the time to restack export containers for tomorrow's departures. "An idle quay is the best time to tidy the yard," said operations manager Katja Hollmann. The terminal says it will open its truck gate two hours longer tonight to make up for the lost time.
10:15 Why the pilots stop
A pilot joins a ship at sea by climbing a rope ladder from a pilot boat that runs alongside at speed. In thick fog, the boat's crew cannot see the ship's hull until they are a few metres from it, and the ship's crew cannot see the boat at all. Radar shows both, but not the ladder, the swell between them or a line trailing in the water. The association's rules set a minimum visibility for transfers, and this morning's fog was well below it.
09:55 Anchorage full
The main deep-water anchorage in the German Bight is now full, according to our count of ships holding position there. New arrivals are being directed to a second anchorage further west. Among the ships waiting are a 16,000-box container ship, the Aurora Bay, and the car carrier Kestrel Horizon.
08:30 Feeders hold in port
Several feeder ships due to sail from Hamburg for Baltic ports have been held at their berths. One operator said its departures would be delayed by at least six hours. Truck traffic at the terminals continues normally. A shipping agent in the port said the delays so far were "an irritation, not a crisis" for most cargo owners, since boxes arriving a day late miss few onward connections at this time of year.
07:15 Forty ships waiting
Around forty ships are now waiting either at anchor or at their berths. Visibility at the river mouth is still below 200 metres. "You can hear the foghorns but you cannot see the bow of your own ship," said the master of one waiting bulk carrier, reached by satellite phone. "We have the kettle on."
06:05 Pilots suspend boardings
The Nordelbe Pilots' Association suspended boardings at the outer station after visibility dropped below the safe limit for transferring pilots between boats and ships. Ships already on the river with pilots aboard are continuing to their berths at reduced speed.
Across the North Sea, the same stretch of water was crossed last night by a ship with no one on her bridge. Read our report from the control room.
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