Greater flexibility and efficiency in flood response operations
Bremerhaven is investing specifically in state-of-the-art technology in order to be able to meet the challenges of flood protection even more effectively. As part of the ongoing development of disaster control, bremenports has procured new, high-performance equipment for storm surge defense and disaster control.
“At the heart of the new equipment is a state-of-the-art MAN truck with a 3-sided tipper body and integrated Atlas loading crane,” explains Christian von Deetzen, head of the dike team at bremenports. The crane, mounted between the driver's cab and the tipper, has an impressive lifting capacity of 1,100 kg with a reach of up to 12 meters. This makes the vehicle particularly suitable for the precise loading and unloading of big bags, geo bags, sandbag pallets, and other materials – even under difficult conditions and on challenging terrain. “The new truck is a real all-rounder for transport, supply, and rapid response in the event of a disaster,” says von Deetzen.
In addition, a machine was purchased for the rapid and continuous filling of up to 4,200 sandbags per hour. Particularly flexible: the machine can be operated either by an electric motor or by a tractor's power take-off shaft – stationary or mobile, depending on the location.
Not least the recent flooding events on the Wörpe and Wümme rivers have once again made it clear that disaster control must be continuously optimized. As a port location with critical infrastructure, Bremerhaven is particularly in the spotlight.
With the new equipment, and in particular the new truck, it will be possible to make greater use of geo-bags and big bags, which are much larger than sandbags, in the event of a flood emergency in the future. Christian von Deetzen: "Precisely because of the ever-growing flood protection systems and the increasing potential for danger due to climate change, we are increasingly relying on these systems in order to be able to react more quickly and efficiently in an emergency. That's why we purchased a filling station for geo-bags and big bags a good year ago – the new equipment complements the whole thing."
Faster and more effective
The advantage is obvious: with GeoBags or BigBags, a significantly larger volume can be moved in less time. By way of comparison, 125 sandbags can be replaced by just one BigBag, which takes only half the time to fill and install and requires significantly less personnel – provided that the right equipment is available, as is now the case following the procurement of the new equipment.
In total, bremenports colleague Jörn Döscher from the Dikes Department – who acted as the “main purchaser,” so to speak – was able to spend around 250,000 euros on the new equipment. About half of the money comes from a joint funding pot of the states of Lower Saxony and Bremen called “Pfeil” (Program for the Promotion of Rural Development), which in turn is fed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD for short). The other half of the amount comes from dyke contribution funds. “Both the Senator for Economic Affairs, Ports and Transformation and the dyke advisory board, which has always been a really good partner for us in flood protection matters, supported us in this procurement. We are very pleased that, thanks to this joint effort by all those involved in both federal states, we are now even better positioned in terms of flood protection,” explains Döscher.
However, the additional equipment means that the storage areas now also need to be expanded: “Flood protection is becoming an increasingly complex task: in order to have enough storage space for the larger systems in the future, we simply need more space and have therefore submitted a building application for an additional flood protection warehouse to supplement our flood protection hall,” explains Christian von Deetzen, adding: “We are thus sending a clear signal in Bremerhaven for future-proof and efficient disaster control – to protect the city, its citizens, and, of course, the port.”
