Loading ships at Hamburg port like solving a big puzzle

By Almut Kipp

A look of intense concentration is etched across Anna Ketzscher’s face as she closely observes three computer monitors detailing cargo lists, ship hold sizes and container shafts.

Ketzscher calls up numerous programs on her computer screen as the 30-year-old manages the loading of container ships docked in the northern German port of Hamburg.

“You need to be able to keep lots of numbers in your head to stay on top of things,” says the ship planner for port authority HHLA at Hamburg’s Tollerort container terminal. Complicated calculations have never been a problem for her. “I have always loved mathematics.”

One of her recent tasks was to organise the loading of the Evergreen Smile freighter, which has a maximum capacity of around 7,000 standard shipping containers.

The containers have to be loaded into the hold and on deck in such a way so that when the ship first docks in the Greek port of Piraeus the cargo meant for delivery in Athens can be unloaded without the need for moving other containers scheduled for later delivery at other ports.

The ship planner admits that while her job looks like a large computer puzzle involving placing coloured tabs, it is in reality a highly complex operation in logistics that requires meticulous planning and specific software.

“When there are over 2,000 containers to be loaded and a difference of one or two containers appears then you really have to begin to search about what to do,” she explains.

When Ketzscher first started in the job, she could only look at the monitor in disbelief, now she finds her computer indispensable. “It has become my hand tool,” she notes with a laugh.

The ship planner works out the loading plans in minute detail, moving containers from right to left on the screen as well as upwards and downwards and forwards and backwards.

The containers also have to be weighed to ensure that the cargo is distributed evenly across the ship. The ship owner provides a manifest outlining the destination port for each container and which ship it has to be loaded on to.

A general stowage plan is also delivered by the ship owner’s central planning department which outlines in detail which containers are to be unloaded and which container bays above and below deck have be loaded with new containers.

“I only thing I don’t know is what is in the containers,” explains Ketzscher, although she is informed about dangerous or perishable goods as they require specific storage methods.

The loading and unloading of ships in Hamburg port is a 24-hour operation. Ketzscher completes the plans during the early shift before “handing over” the ship to her predominantly male colleagues, something that she does not find unduly difficult.

“At the moment, I am happy here and just want to slowly gain more experience,” she says confidently.

“Because I qualified as a forwarding merchant I have been surrounded almost exclusively by men since I started my working career and it was normal to hear occasional negative comments,” Ketzscher explains.

“It was not unusual for me to hear statements such as ‘Oh God, a young woman’ when I worked in truck dispatching.”

However, Ketzscher says she is now quite happy to work in an environment with few women. “The famous or should I say infamous cat fights don’t happen here,” she says.

That Ketzscher would end up having a career in the port is something she would never have predicted growing up in Hamburg.

After leaving school, she studied as a forwarding merchant before successfully applying for a job at HHLA, starting in the truck clearance department at Tollerort. After three years she moved into project management while studying business management part-time and jumped at the opportunity when HHLA offered a further education course in ship planning.

“Container handling at the waterfront is the core business of HHLA and I have always found it fascinating,” she says. “I was also very familiar with the land operations by that stage.”

Ketzscher’s application was successful and she was among around 17 people — including three women — chosen from over 50 applicants for the pilot project at one the three HHLA container terminals in Hamburg.

The ship planner qualified for her new position after a year’s study, which included three months of theory and nine months of practical experience.

Ketzscher carries the name “ship planner” proudly on the helmet she wears when visiting the ships to speak with the first navigational officer about the loading process.

“We only begin loading once the plan has been approved,” she explains.

It is not long before this section of Hamburg port springs into life. Gantry cranes swing into action, lifting the containers on board while van carriers move around the port collecting other containers ready for loading. — DPA