Weighing tons, oversized and very expensive. The cargo they pack does not fit into a standardised sea chest. The men’s work in the Port of Hamburg is dangerous and a logistical challenge.

The guys from heavy logistics are tough and there is actually nothing they can’t load.  But when a giant propeller costing millions floats through the ship’s hatch and lands safely in the hold, it is always a challenge even for the old hands.

Hans-Henning Fischer is a professional for these difficult cases. The 63-year-old has been working in the port all his life – in all weathers. As an expert in port handling and logistics, he now prepares the port’s junior staff and specialists for the ever-increasing challenges of loading XXL cargo. Young and old come to him for training. Jan Seyer has been through it all for a long time. The 45-year-old superintendent has been working at BUSS for 24 years – he is responsible for planning the cargo there. He usually inspects the heavy cargoes in advance so that there are no surprises during loading. It goes without saying that he accompanies every operation to the end so that he can intervene in case of any complications. In the evening, the colleagues like to drink a beer together – preferably in their neighbourhood – on St. Pauli.

The Port of Hamburg is the calling card and economic engine of the Hanseatic city and is constantly changing. Terminals and storage areas are restructured here almost daily and traditional working environments are changed or abolished in the process. This is because global goods traffic demands ever faster and more cost-effective handling of goods in the seaports. The transport of containers is highly standardised and mostly runs fully automatically. In the heavy-lift cargo business, however, almost every XXL cargo needs its own solution for loading, securing and transport on the ship. Individual solutions and real types are still in demand here.