Hydrogen refueling station at the Port of Hamburg

Project Manager

The Port of Hamburg is responsible for the project in cooperation with Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) and Linde Engineering.

Project description

HHLA, a transport and storage logistics company, commissioned Linde Engineering to build a hydrogen refueling station as part of the Clean Port & Logistics (CPL) innovation cluster. The station will be located at the Port of Hamburg’s Tollerort Container Terminal (CTT) and is designed to supply hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles and terminal equipment.

The hydrogen refueling station at the port offers numerous benefits, highlighting the significant reduction of CO2 emissions and other pollutants, which contributes to combating climate change and improving air quality. In addition, it has a high-pressure ionic compressor that allows efficient hydrogen compression up to 450 bar, making it easy to quickly refuel heavy equipment such as empty container stackers, forklifts, reach stackers, terminal tractors and trucks that are efficiently refueled with hydrogen. Its versatile design also includes expansion options to adapt to future technological demands.

The Port of Hamburg’s hydrogen refueling station has reached a significant milestone by opening a test field for hydrogen-powered equipment that allows the efficiency and reliability of hydrogen-powered equipment to be evaluated under real port operating conditions. The infrastructure developed has enabled remarkable progress in the transition to zero-emission port operations and is expected to serve as a platform for future innovations in the use of hydrogen in logistics and transport.

Project objectives

The main objective of the project is to accelerate the transition towards emission-free logistics and port operations, promoting the decarbonization of the logistics-port sector through the use of hydrogen.

This new station seeks to optimize the use of hydrogen in port technologies, serving as a platform for future innovations in the use of hydrogen in logistics and transport.

The CPL innovation cluster will evaluate how hydrogen can reliably supply power to port equipment, developing rapid and practical solutions for the commercialization of hydrogen-powered heavy-duty vehicles. This project also focuses on the safety, maintenance, repair and efficient operation of hydrogen-powered equipment.