Paper short abstract:

Few other economic sectors are as crucially shaped as shipping by the notion that expansion is a goal in itself. A relentless focus on economies of scale has resulted in the mega-sizing of container ships. Few ports are today equipped to host such ships, with ever more costly adaptations needed.

Paper long abstract:

Few other sectors of the global economy are as fundamentally shaped as shipping by the notion that economic expansion may be a goal in itself. A relentless focus on economies of scale, for instance, has resulted in the mega-sizing of container ships, which have grown to truly spectacular dimensions. With ships today holding up to 24,000 twenty-foot containers on board, these vessels increasingly pose major problems to global ports and the cities around them. Few ports are today equipped to host such ships, with ever more dredging and other costly infrastructural adaptations needed. The Port of Hamburg, today Europe’s third largest container port, is at a disadvantage vis a vis its deep-sea port competitors of Rotterdam and Antwerp. Located 130km from the North Sea, the tidal movements of the River Elbe have put limits on the port’s capacity to welcome large vessels. Possibly the largest dredging project in history was completed in 2022 and was meant to allow the Port of Hamburg to welcome mega-ships irrespective of the tide, with the project justified by astronomically high projections of cargo arriving in the future. Meanwhile, many urban stakeholders are increasingly asking themselves whether a less port-focused city is possible. Engaging with the growth-obsessed shipping sector via the lens of Hamburg, this paper outlines ongoing urban discussions around economic growth and ecological survival. In response to the fast-changing nature of global maritime capitalism, expanding containerized cargo capacity is often dominating debates at the expense of the environment and social life.