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Big Ships & Heavy Load - Hard Work At The PORT OF HAMBURG | Full Documentary — Transcript

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0:00more than 12 000 ships from all over the
0:02world
0:03dock at the port of hamburg each year
0:05160 000
0:07jobs depend directly upon the port it's
0:09one of the most
0:10important german business locations more
0:13than 100 million tons of goods
0:15and around 9 million containers hamburg
0:18is one of the world's top 20 seaports
0:22the tow boat blocker under the command
0:24of captain timo mila
0:25is taking a huge container ship to the
0:27pier a dangerous job
0:29the container terminals are manned 24
0:31hours a day
0:32bridge operator bjorn ziemsen is under
0:34constant pressure to meet deadlines
0:37and dock worker henley hertendoff faces
0:39a real challenge
0:40as he loads an enormously heavy ship's
0:43propeller with
0:44his boys
0:56the port of hamburg would not function
0:58at all without them
0:59the bracket is a modern towboat with
1:02more than 5600 horsepower
1:05today captain timo mulla is due to
1:07receive a huge container ship
1:09and escort it safely from hamburg state
1:12border to the pier
1:16you can already see the kyoto express
1:18arriving she's
1:19easy to spot in the mist the container
1:22ship is 335 meters long
1:24tension rises among the crew members and
1:26the tug captain
1:27they've been doing this job for many
1:29years but the respect remains
1:32now once we've attached ourselves to the
1:34front of the kyoto express in a minute
1:36it's true that i run the risk of making
1:37a mistake and getting run over by the
1:39ship
1:40i mean we could be rammed by the ship
1:42and then would probably end up being
1:44pulled under water or the motor may also
1:46cut out
1:46making it impossible for us to maneuver
1:48in front of the ship
1:50you don't want these things to happen
1:51but of course there is a possibility
1:53they might
1:54so pulling the ship from the front is
1:56dangerous and challenging in any event
2:01the harbor pilot boards the ship before
2:03it can cross hamburg's federal state
2:04border
2:05he's going to instruct the other tow
2:06boats the shipping company has ordered
2:08three powerful tow boats for the job
2:12here's the second tow boat that's coming
2:14with us perfect it's going a stern
2:17morning the break is listening on six
2:19for the kyoto express
2:30yeah we'll go alongside break in front
2:32and later turning south
2:33all good
2:37the kyoto express is quite a beast that
2:40comes dangerously close to the small
2:42tow boat but this is the only way the
2:44deckhand can take the head rope
2:46and attach the towing hook to it which
2:48is then pulled upwards
2:50there's one firm rule the rope always
2:53comes from the harbor tug so that the
2:55crew can be sure it's strong enough and
2:56completely intact
2:58their lives depend on it if the rope
3:00were to sever
3:02it would be disastrous
3:07ship is moving at a good speed we're
3:08going in eight and a half knots here
3:11this is neither too slow nor too fast
3:12for us it has to have a certain speed to
3:15be able to steer
3:16the more slowly it moves the less the
3:18rotor blade is exposed to the current
3:20and the more difficult it becomes to
3:22steer so it really needs good speed to
3:24navigate safely
3:26shortly the ship will have to be turned
3:29360 degrees
3:30the golden kuru has moored at the
3:32southwest terminal
3:34packaged goods are to be loaded onto the
3:36chinese cargo ship
3:37a job for the last remaining stevedores
3:40the dock workers toston klut is their
3:43loadmaster
3:45either three or four
3:48remember we'll keep moving here a little
3:50further that way towards the pier
3:52the steel trough is going to a factory
3:55in china
3:57we call this the bathtub it weighs 43
3:59metric tons 43.6
4:03the weight isn't a problem but the
4:05bathtubs dimensions
4:07are giving second stevedore gordon
4:09wallace a headache
4:11i was following yesterday the challenge
4:13for the deckman or crane operator is
4:15that the hatch cover itself the hatch
4:16opening here
4:17is only 14.4 meters and the bathtub is
4:2015.1 meters
4:22the challenge is of course we have to go
4:24crossways we come in diagonally
4:25and then we have to turn when there's an
4:27opening down there so that it stands
4:29straight
4:32on the water side we still have room
4:34please
4:4043 metric tons
4:44there's always a little momentum with it
4:46you realize you still see some movement
4:49to hold that really still that rarely
4:51happens but as you can see we've managed
4:56it perfectly
5:00perfect the first challenge is over
5:05in the past doc worker shaped the image
5:07of hamburg's gateway to the world
5:10today only a few people do this
5:12back-breaking job
5:13tony is one of them yes it's the whole
5:17nine yards right now because the crane
5:18driver can't see anything
5:20i'm sort of the middleman between the
5:21people in the hatch and the crane driver
5:24everything's fine as long as he can see
5:25but when he can't see that's when i have
5:27to jump in of course
5:29the job can be dangerous extremely heavy
5:32loads are suspended in the cargo hold
5:34over the men's heads
5:38keep going keep going
5:44keep going keep going swing a little to
5:47the left
5:50yes good
5:54oh yeah that's practically still the old
5:57port work
5:59this is still general cargo
6:02container is always pretty monotonous
6:03always the same procedure
6:05and here you have to think about it how
6:06does the cargo get in how do we lash it
6:09the container is always standardized
6:11it's always about putting it in and done
6:14with something like this you always have
6:15to check whether it fits the dimensions
6:18how is it attached or secured the load
6:19of course that's a bit more exciting
6:21than working with containers
6:26working at the port is about learning by
6:29watching
6:30the young men are learning from the old
6:32hands
6:33just like in the past
6:36the heavy boxes need to be stacked in
6:38such a way
6:39that they are not damaged
6:44[Music]
6:45if we were to stow the boxes on top of
6:47each other might weigh too much
6:49we remove the boxes place a board under
6:51them and stabilize them so they won't
6:53collapse
6:55the stevedores use so-called lashing
6:58chains
6:58to secure the heavy boxes
7:07one chain comes from above and the other
7:09from down here
7:11then you take the tensioner which acts
7:13as the lock to connect the two chains
7:15and lash them together
7:21the lashing crew relies on muscle
7:23strength
7:24and the leverage of its tools these
7:27safety locks do not open very quickly
7:29the crates are fixed in place for rough
7:31seas and long journeys
7:33experience and tricks are fairly
7:35important for handling heavy loads
7:40nicely done the coolbond bridge is a
7:44challenge
7:45the clearance height is only about 52
7:47meters
7:48that's just enough for the kyoto express
7:51the new huge ships can no longer dock at
7:54the container terminal behind it
7:57the 335 meter long ship hangs onto the
8:00hook of captain timo miller's turbo
8:02he now has to turn the giant 360 degrees
8:07now i have to be careful of course as
8:09the ship moves a little bit ahead
8:11if i'm not careful now it is possible
8:12that we will turn around
8:14which means we would essentially be
8:15facing in the wrong direction on the
8:16side of the ship
8:17i have to ensure that the line is at a
8:1990 degree angle so we can clear when he
8:21says attached to steering board and can
8:22start right away
8:24the harbour pilot instructs the tow
8:26boats using the radio
8:29plenty of room at the front for nyk okay
8:33the giant ship lies parallel with the
8:35key wall
8:36timo milla gives the order to haul in
8:38the tow line
8:39now the giant container freighter is
8:41unable to maneuver the tow boats must
8:43get into position as quickly as possible
8:45to tow the ship to the key wall
8:47there are marked points on the ship's
8:49side for this purpose
8:51it's here that the tow boat can exert
8:53pressure
8:56break halfway halfway a tow boat captain
9:00must have experience and knowledge he
9:02must keep an eye on the tide
9:03high and low he must know the currents
9:06and estimate the wind
9:07it's the only way to safely birth
9:09ocean-going vessels at the pier
9:12we're pushing this way now and the
9:13perfect essentially keeps her off the
9:15kai a bit
9:16as soon as we're completely parallel and
9:18on the fenders
9:19we push it full speed so that she
9:21doesn't get off the car
9:23then the lines get tied to the kite
9:28nails the huge container freighter to
9:30the pier
9:31then the pilot gives the signal the ship
9:33has moored
9:34the tow boats can veer off the job is
9:37done
9:41hamburg is germany's largest container
9:44port
9:45in europe it's only rotor dam that
9:47handles more steel boxes
9:53the bridge drivers work at a height of
9:55about 50 meters
9:56bjorn ziemsen operates two joysticks
9:59with these
10:00he can move the crane carriage back and
10:02forth and use the spreader
10:04to lift the containers upwards
10:09of course you have to be able to control
10:11the spreader and to do this you have to
10:13be able to master driving out what we
10:15call the swing first
10:17most bridge operators need up to two
10:18years before they can do this perfectly
10:20there are operators who learn faster and
10:22those who need longer
10:25a guide on the ship constantly informs
10:27zimzin about which containers are to be
10:29moved
10:30in hamburg only part of the cargo is
10:32unloaded
10:36it's often the case that we drive for
10:37four hours on the bridge so the
10:39concentration required is of course very
10:41high
10:42the smallest mistake could cause damage
10:45in the worst case even lead to personal
10:47injury and that's why you have to be
10:49very careful when working here
10:5298 of goods now arrive and leave the
10:55port by container
10:56the world of standardized steel boxes is
10:59largely automated and computer
11:01controlled
11:02the technical highlight in hamburg these
11:04driverless vehicles
11:06they're guided to their destination by
11:08sensors in the ground
11:09humans are no longer needed in the block
11:12storage area
11:15around 25 000 containers reach the port
11:18of hamburg
11:19every day just as many leave the port
11:22again by truck or train
11:24and there's no end in sight to the
11:26container boom
11:33block storage is completely controlled
11:35by computers
11:37we have a big piece of software for it
11:38it calculates everything
11:40every position of the containers is
11:42pre-programmed
11:43the containers are then removed or put
11:45into storage when they're moved out to
11:47the water side of the ships
11:48they're pre-programmed and put onto the
11:50agvs the agv are programmed to go
11:52directly to the container bridge
11:56the kyoto express is now taking new
11:58containers on board
12:00the central computer controls the
12:02delivery of the steel crates
12:04so that the containers that are to be
12:06unloaded in the next port
12:07are the last ones to be stored on board
12:20but suddenly the loading stops there's
12:23an unexpected
12:24problem on bjorn ziemsen's steering
12:26bridge
12:35bent i think you need to sync something
12:39yeah looks like it slipped through i'll
12:40fix it
12:44we have a technical problem in that we
12:46have a bridge with two crane carriages
12:48we hand over the container with the main
12:50carriage then the portal carriage picks
12:53up the container
12:54and takes it to the back of the agv area
12:57this is the main carriage and this is
12:58the portal carriage which just slipped
13:00through
13:02so because the system doesn't know
13:03exactly where it is right now which
13:05could lead to a collision within this
13:06area
13:07i got locked out the bridge supervisor
13:10has now synchronized the carriage again
13:12and put it in position
13:14the sensors recognize everything again
13:18and now we can carry on working normally
13:25we're in constant contact with
13:27supervisors with the control center
13:29with lashing foreman so the whole
13:31workflow gets perfected
13:38the bridge operator's job is very
13:40complex and there isn't a computer yet
13:42that could replace him the best part of
13:46this job
13:46well definitely looking to the east here
13:48in the morning after a night shift
13:50and then weather permitting we get to
13:51see a really great sunrise
13:54we have the river elbow right in front
13:55of us and see the ships passing each
13:57other
13:57it's really a great place to work
14:02heavy cargo is still being loaded at the
14:04southwest terminal
14:06loading supervisor toston klot has been
14:08around long enough to immediately spot
14:10when his boys are making mistakes
14:14nope
14:22no stop what you're doing
14:44so normally with many pieces of cargo
14:46there are certain lashing points
14:49there are none here i have to find some
14:51where i can latch on and fasten things
14:53for example at the front of the chassis
14:55nothing can happen there now but if i
14:57don't have any it's going to be a bit
14:58difficult isn't it
15:00on board second stevedore gordon wallace
15:03is not satisfied either
15:04his men cannot find enough points to
15:06secure the cargo safely in the ship's
15:08hold
15:09transept after edge on the wall
15:12markers one two three four do that
15:19you can put the tractor there then you
15:21have to move the crate again
15:24so the tracker so with the tractor you
15:26have to see where the lashing points are
15:28so that you can lash it properly
15:30with the shafts normally we put them
15:32lengthwise which is more stable
15:36then you pull them towards the wall but
15:37there are no lashing points
15:40i can't lash them i put them free ship
15:42because here on the aft edge
15:43i actually have flashing points that can
15:45be used to secure things properly
15:47that's my lashes they ding a festival
15:51in the hold miguel leads the command
15:54born in portugal he's an experienced
15:56stevedore
15:57he shows the younger employees how to
16:00properly lash the heavy cargo
16:06mrps
16:16one chain is suitable for 10 metric tons
16:1810 lugs mean
16:2020 metric tons when the chain is new
16:24when the cat annoys sometimes the chains
16:27break
16:28resulting in bad accidents
16:33the tractors have to be re-parked
16:37now they're in the right place
16:41here miguel can lash the vehicles firmly
16:46an individual solution must be found for
16:49each piece of general cargo
16:51that makes the job demanding and
16:53exhausting
16:54after eight hours of hard work the end
16:56of the shift is finally in sight
17:02this is what we call punishment for the
17:03lashes more tonnage means more work and
17:06more lashing
17:07that's punishing work but people do it
17:09with humor
17:10it's all right isn't it no more than
17:14that
17:14show now the work of the stevedores does
17:17not fit
17:17into a standardized steel box but modern
17:20technology has made the men
17:22almost superfluous their numbers are
17:24decreasing every year
17:26high tech inexorably replaces manpower
17:32the port of hamburg is a good 100
17:34kilometers from the north sea
17:36however it's still considered a seaport
17:39because large container ships take
17:41advantage of the flood tides
17:42and can pass through the shipping
17:44channel with a draft of up to
17:4615 meters for the tugs this means that
17:49their operations depend on the water
17:51level
17:52during low tide the bracca's crew can
17:54moor in the port
17:55but the crew must always stay close to
17:57their ship in case they're needed
18:02timo mulla and his men stay on board for
18:05seven days at a time
18:06then they have seven days off each crew
18:08member has his own cabin and shower
18:13on thursdays we start at 11 really in
18:15the tightest space
18:17in winter you can't get out because it's
18:18so cold and we're here for a week
18:20our families and children are waiting
18:22for us at home so you hope you can get
18:24home quickly
18:24and most of all safe and sound
18:28in the belly of the ship sit the two
18:29diesel engines that mario schmidt felt
18:31checks every day with almost 5 600
18:34horsepower they drive two propellers
18:36which are mounted under the hull
18:38and can be turned 360 degrees this makes
18:41the tow boat extremely maneuverable
18:45this is a caterpillar engine 16
18:46cylinders arranged in a v-shape around
18:482100 kilowatts
18:50which equals just about 2850 horsepower
18:53that goes to the back to the propeller
18:55it's relatively powerful for such a
18:57small tugboat
18:58the ships get bigger you need more
19:00powerful tanks this is partly wanted or
19:02stipulated by the port
19:04in an emergency the tow boat must be
19:06ready for operation within five minutes
19:09so timo milla usually leaves his ship
19:11only to talk to the dispatcher about
19:13upcoming assignments delays are common
19:16as ships
19:17often have to wait at the mouth of the
19:18river many assignments are decided on
19:21short notice
19:23in bad weather shipping companies like
19:25to order
19:26additional tow boats
19:32you can plan for most things but there
19:34are always unforeseeable things like
19:36terminals not being ready in time or the
19:38weather not playing along
19:39or a storm which means the big ships are
19:41not allowed to sail on the elba
19:45if the water is too low that's a problem
19:47too
19:48because some of the ships have a draft
19:50of 12 13 14 meters
19:53and this influences which side they go
19:55to
19:56or if the water is too high they can't
19:58pass under the colebron bridge for
20:00example
20:03at dusk the next mission starts another
20:06container freighter wants to enter the
20:08port
20:09yeah another container ship without
20:11containers
20:12almost 280 meters long and so empty that
20:15even the ship's propeller sticks out at
20:17the bottom
20:19this time the bracket takes over the
20:21position at the rear
20:22in an emergency the tug has to slow down
20:24the giant
20:25no problem for the little powerhouse its
20:28pulling power is enormous
20:29the bracket can pull 40 tons of bollard
20:32pull
20:32deckhand kruger has the most dangerous
20:34job
20:37you make sure that when they throw out
20:38everything from above and we're almost
20:40directly underneath
20:41that we don't get the lines on our heads
20:43or hurt ourselves so
20:44keep your eyes on deck and watch out
20:46that nothing happens always work
20:48accident free if possible
20:50an assignment like this takes a good
20:52three hours
20:56now we've stopped the ship and are
20:57starting to turn and now let's get into
20:59position here and put the pedal to the
21:01metal again
21:04timo mulla turns the freighter until it
21:06sits parallel with the key wall
21:09the 35 year old has never felt the
21:11desire to operate a larger ship
21:13he's been a tug captain for 11 years his
21:16world
21:16is the harbor
21:25vito las cruca on the other hand used to
21:27go to sea
21:28but he signed on as a deckhand for the
21:30sake of his family
21:33well when i think back i started on a
21:35fishing trawler that was built in 45 46
21:38and since then things have really
21:39changed they're getting bigger and
21:41bigger
21:42and the equipment ever better
21:46safety is very important now which was
21:49not the case in the past
21:52a lot has changed already the operation
21:55finishes around midnight
21:57the tugboat crew can rest they do not
21:59have to go out again tonight
22:01but now henley hertendoff and vladimir
22:04safonov
22:05have to start their shifts we get going
22:08right
22:09yeah the 52 year old is one of the few
22:11originals left
22:12called a your guide in my mind
22:16we're actually always on duty it doesn't
22:18matter if it's snowing if it's raining
22:20or if it's thunder and lightning we
22:22always set sail
22:25your guides were the names traditionally
22:27given to the port workers who
22:29transported goods across the canals with
22:31their ships
22:33then you tighten it like this um
22:36it's got to be tight because otherwise
22:38the assembly will move
22:42now it's like it's it's been welded
22:44together
22:48harry and his colleagues have moored a
22:50so-called barge to their ship
22:52they use it to transport containers
22:53general cargo or loose cargo between
22:56terminals
22:57today port bargeman vladimir safonov
23:00faces a real challenge he has to pick up
23:03a ship's propeller weighing roughly 70
23:06tons
23:08a floating crane has been specially
23:09ordered for heavy transport
23:11although it was built back in 1946 it's
23:14still
23:15indispensable even in the container era
23:18there is still enough general cargo to
23:20be loaded
23:28are important for the port in general
23:29because not everything can be moved on
23:31roads and you can't get everywhere
23:33you have obstacles like bridges so you
23:35can't ship high flat rack container
23:38we then transport them with the barges
23:40in fact
23:41we can take more with us than a truck
23:44we can load up to 60 containers in a
23:46barge
23:47and for that you need 60 trucks
24:03that has to do mate that's enough now
24:05you can go back and forth
24:07watch out it doesn't slip okay
24:11we're going to put rubber mats there now
24:13so that it can't slip away
24:15if the barge gets lopsided if it's too
24:18much
24:19it can get slanted and eventually
24:22depending on how heavy the load is you
24:24can also tip over
24:27the propeller has a diameter of 10
24:29meters and the barge
24:31is just a few centimeters wider
24:34the crane operator has to handle it with
24:36finesse even a small dent
24:38could make the propeller worthless
24:48from now on henry and vladimir are
24:50responsible for the precious cargo
24:56there was still five centimeters space
24:58on each side
25:00so this is a pretty tight job and with
25:03103 metric tons
25:05if he hits it the thing is bent
25:06immediately and i'd rather not know how
25:08much a propeller like that costs
25:10no definitely not the propeller costs
25:13a good 700 000 euros and is due to set
25:17off on the long journey to china
25:18in less than three hours on a freighter
25:21the barge pushers
25:22have to step on it
25:36the coal freighter from norway docks at
25:38the bulk goods terminal this morning
25:40shift supervisor rudy enda ling is one
25:43of the few workers still needed here
25:48now i'm waiting until she's within
25:49earshot
25:51stand where it needs to go with the
25:53bridge because i'm the one who says
25:54where the ship has to go so that we can
25:56unload it optimally with our equipment
25:58and then let's hope that the guys up
25:59there understand their job and dock the
26:01ship the way i wanted to
26:02the freighter has about 13 000 tons of
26:05coal on board
26:06four sides of bridge here please the
26:09hamburg terminal is one of the largest
26:11in europe
26:12power plants and steel works are
26:13supplied from here
26:22great
26:24yeah just like i imagined
26:27to give hamburg a chance to compete
26:29against other seaports
26:31the company relies on the automation of
26:33the plant
26:34you hardly see people here anymore
26:47the bulk goods terminal is the most
26:49modern facility in the port of hamburg
26:51the computer colleague
26:53takes more and more control for plant
26:55manager hotmodbus
26:57this is a model for the future we can
27:00start when the hatch is open
27:01in automatic mode everything is occupied
27:04yeah i'm waiting for the go ahead from
27:06the stevedore and then
27:09yeah he has to clear how we proceed with
27:11the captain first and once he's given us
27:12the go ahead we'll make a start
27:15the bridges are the first worldwide to
27:16be automated
27:27this tells everyone working here in the
27:28plant that they're not manned by an
27:30operator
27:31and that they run fully automated
27:36and someone there can act in the case of
27:38a malfunction
27:40but otherwise no person is needed
27:42anymore
27:44the bridges for unloading only need to
27:46be brought
27:47into their correct position then
27:49millions of tons of coal and ore can be
27:52moved as if by magic
27:54without any bridge driver non-stop
27:56around the clock
28:09more than 10 percent of the total port
28:11turnover is handled
28:12in this section of the port and that
28:14with just
28:15over 110 employees
28:23we're capable of moving over 15 million
28:26metric tons across the key walls
28:28one third of this about six million tons
28:30is coal
28:31while nine million tons are all we
28:34supply two steel works with oil and
28:35similarly several power plants receive
28:37coal from us
28:39everything that we heave across the key
28:40walls must of course be delivered back
28:42again
28:52the port of hamburg has always served as
28:55a huge storage
28:56and transshipment hub for goods however
28:59where there are goods there are pests
29:02and luts feshna
29:03and yanduvu are here to hunt them down
29:11this here is what is known as the fruit
29:13mile where in the old days really large
29:15ships arrived
29:16loaded with loose cartons that got
29:18unloaded here and then put into storage
29:22nowadays everything only just arrives in
29:24containers and the customer orders
29:26everything just in time and gets it
29:27delivered to his warehouse
29:33the inspectors have an appointment with
29:35a logistics company
29:36it has received fresh goods from china
29:39which are to be imported
29:40into the eu it's a shipment of pomelos
29:43a citrus fruit the inspectors are
29:46supposed to ensure that the sensitive
29:47fruit
29:48is not infested with the fungus this
29:50could be a dangerous threat
29:52to citrus growing areas in europe
29:57yeah very nice that's good from china
30:01let's check them
30:02yeah good and here comes our panic stack
30:05here yet so now we're looking for
30:08insects and pests on the fruit
30:10that are not indigenous to the eu
30:13that could cause damage economic damage
30:18the inspectors take random samples some
30:21fruit
30:22goes to the laboratory for further
30:24analysis in the past
30:26lutz feshna has even been sent to
30:28produce growing countries to check goods
30:30before they were shipped to germany
30:34of course we know the countries where
30:35diseases occur
30:37what diseases can be found in the fruit
30:38and what symptoms we're looking for
30:43there are bacteriological diseases
30:45viruses
30:46fungi and you'd be able to spot some of
30:49them just by looking at the skin
30:53fungi and pests make the fruit unsightly
30:56an infestation like that could be
30:58spotted immediately
31:00the inspectors could then prohibit the
31:02import these are pips
31:03this is nothing yeah you're right
31:09of course the customer has a number of
31:10options to choose from
31:12he can either send the goods back to the
31:14company that sent them to him
31:16or he can have the goods destroyed here
31:19or you can sell them to any country that
31:21has different regulations
31:23where this disease is not warranting any
31:24quarantine this possibility also exists
31:27in which case the container needs to be
31:29re-exported
31:31these storerooms are filled with pure
31:32indulgence three and a half tons of
31:34premium cocoa worth 15 million euros
31:37the master of this sweet treasure is
31:39ralph gassner
31:42coco consists of around 50 fat the
31:45so-called cocoa butter
31:46the differences lie in the aroma premium
31:49cocoas have a very strong aroma
31:51very chocolatey whereas the normal
31:54consumer cocoas from west africa
31:56are actually used for mass chocolate
31:58that is for whole milk varieties
32:03at first of course we look at the
32:05initial impression and see if there are
32:07any foreign smells
32:09after which we make a cutting test
32:14means that beans are sliced to determine
32:16on a percentage basis
32:17whether there is pest infestation inside
32:20and whether beans are moldy from the
32:22inside
32:23or whether they have not fermented
32:26properly
32:28sweet temptation brings dangerous pests
32:30into the country
32:31another job for lutzfeshna and yanduvu
32:34using a flashlight they take a close
32:36look at the valuable cargo
32:38they search for so-called quarantine
32:41pests
32:44let's take some samples
32:47you can just poke them like this
32:52these are burlap sacks when i'm finished
32:54i can close them again to some extent so
32:56that nothing comes out
32:58when i started 25 years ago with the
33:00plant health inspection service
33:02i saw what kind of caterpillars people
33:04in the sheds usually refer to them as
33:06maggots
33:06because they're so small but they're
33:08from moths
33:10the larvae from moths and there were so
33:12many and it looked so disgusting
33:14that i started to stop eating chocolate
33:16right away
33:17but that didn't last long as you can see
33:20pests
33:20do not only contaminate the cargo in the
33:23worst case they can even destroy the
33:25cocoa
33:29yeah so here we found a live larva from
33:32a moth
33:33[Music]
33:34we have to do a little bit of
33:35resuscitation now
33:42well the fumigation is always a bit
33:44tricky especially in winter when the
33:45heating is not done properly
33:46or the eggs those are always a bit hard
33:48to get
33:52this has of course improved dramatically
33:54over the last years the last decades
33:58also in the countries of origin
34:00therefore we find
34:01way fewer as 30 or 35 years ago
34:06the larva and the samples are sent to
34:08the laboratory for further examination
34:10after which the inspectors will decide
34:12whether or not the cocoa must be treated
34:18on one of the side branches of the elbe
34:20the port skippers
34:21are on their way to the shipping
34:22terminal with their massive load
34:24the freighter that is supposed to take
34:26the propeller to china is already
34:28waiting
34:28but first the men have to pass a
34:30bottleneck although it's a lift bridge
34:33it will not be raised especially for the
34:35small barge
34:36rather the captain will have to keep his
34:38head down
34:42four meter 70 is the maximum clearance
34:44height
34:45no problem for barge captains henry
34:47hertendoth and vladimir safonov
34:58the times of the old longshoremen are
35:00almost gone
35:02henley is one of the last of his guild
35:04he still learned the job as a your guide
35:06from scratch
35:11there are no more you were guides
35:12there's no more training
35:26used to be a lot of work done by hand
35:28and all that stuff and today it's hardly
35:30like that anymore
35:31because everything is in containers
35:35only two percent of the goods are not
35:37transported by container
35:39like this propeller the captain of the
35:42richmond soul
35:43lowers the holding ropes by board crane
35:46and pushes for speed
35:48boss just pull the loops under right
35:51yeah of course simply pull it under
35:53three men three corners and it's not all
35:55right boss
35:56the ship has been given a fixed time
35:58window for its departure
36:01let's go yeah
36:08as you can see we fastened the propeller
36:09with these straps
36:11we have to make sure that the straps all
36:13fit perfectly
36:14that they won't touch any sharp edges
36:18and we'll need to pay attention when he
36:19lifts it to keep distance
36:22and watch what happens
36:29everything now depends on the crane
36:31operator
36:32the massive propeller weighing several
36:34tons must not touch the side of the ship
36:41vladimir has fulfilled his mission the
36:44propeller is safely on board
36:46now he can go and clean up with henry
36:52hold on old man i'm coming pass down
36:55another rope
36:56for henry the operation was too hectic
37:00so we didn't expect that it would go
37:01that fast normally it takes a long time
37:05they prepare everything first and then
37:07at the end the thingamajig comes along
37:11it all worked out beautifully today
37:14for the next job the barge is no longer
37:16needed
37:17the men moored at the key general cargo
37:20will be loaded here tomorrow
37:24this assignment lasted over four hours
37:27now the push boat is turning and going
37:29back to the container terminal
37:33the rickmas sole is also setting off for
37:35china
37:40henry and vladimir have time for a
37:42breakfast break
37:44while the ewer guide is an old timer 28
37:46year old vladimir is still a youngster
37:49he has only been working at the port for
37:51four years
37:58well in the port there's a bit more
37:59banter than elsewhere occasionally
38:01you're called an idiot but here nobody
38:02takes it seriously really
38:04our you name that's kind of yeah
38:07in one ear out the other finished let's
38:09just pour gibberish
38:11hey fatso that's now standard
38:16terry here's your thank you sugar's
38:18there okay
38:19yeah hang on here's a spoon
38:24it's like it used to be that if you
38:26worked with a colleague and you didn't
38:27feel well
38:28well then you'd pick up the slack for
38:30him
38:42the romantic port life of yesteryears
38:45hardly exists
38:46anymore more and more the computer as
38:48colleague
38:49determines the work rhythm at hanza port
38:52coal and awards are now loaded fully
38:55automated
38:56from ocean-going vessel via storage to
38:58freight trains
38:59plant manager hotmodbus is proud of his
39:02facility
39:05these are also known as combination
39:06devices because they work in combination
39:09currently they're in reloading mode you
39:11can tell from the rotating bucket wheels
39:13pellets are transported to the belt once
39:15we bring the material from the ship to
39:17the warehouse the bucket wheel stops
39:19and the belt system takes the material
39:20to the warehouse
39:26in the control center of the high-tech
39:28facility two employees
39:30are sufficient to monitor the loading
39:32terminals and
39:33combination units they only intervene
39:36when something goes wrong
39:38otherwise the computer uses a 3d scanner
39:41to calculate the correct position of the
39:43gripper arm in the hatch
39:44accurate to the centimeter how many
39:47hatches we actually wanted to get
39:49something out of
39:50and on the scale after stuff was like
39:52three and seven
39:54three and seven then three stays and you
39:56throw two back out on hatch seven
39:59we have four thousand metric tons
40:02it needs to do if i look at it now it's
40:0610 30 a.m that it should be done by 2pm
40:10sure let's see because with the high
40:12tide it'll be moving over to morborg
40:15time is money at the port of hamburg the
40:18computer manages to unload the coal
40:20freighter in less than five
40:22hours
40:25we now have a work station for automatic
40:27bridge operation
40:28this is completely new the levers are
40:31placed the way they are in the
40:32operator's cab
40:34but these are only meant for emergencies
40:35in case of a malfunction you can
40:37intervene manually
40:39let's say a gripper that has perhaps
40:40twisted you can raise it up again here
40:43and then press a button
40:44and then the automatic operation
40:45continues one gripper can unload
40:48up to 1500 tons per hour the norwegian
40:51coal freighter is
40:52currently using two unloading bridges
40:54they have to be repositioned again
40:56and again depending on which loading
40:58hatch is currently handled
41:00a job for huri and aling so then i'll be
41:03on site so we can switch hatches hatch
41:05seven
41:07the shift supervisor maintains contact
41:10with the control station
41:11and gives instructions man i'm here we
41:15can continue
41:26stop stop place the stake here please
41:33now we position the stake
41:36this is the range how far it is allowed
41:37to drive up
41:39and there's still the safety area away
41:41from the ship's movement in case a
41:42bigger ship passes somewhere
41:44if the ship can move and if you're too
41:45close to it just in this moment
41:47then there could be a collision so far
41:50knock on wood that has not happened
41:56the coal is transported to the
41:57stockpiles via 10 kilometer long
41:59conveyor belts
42:06now i'm driving down the stretch where
42:08the material runs along the road belts
42:11and i'm going to make a visual and
42:13acoustic check to see if everything is
42:14in order
42:17and see if there's any material falling
42:19off somewhere near the other bridges
42:20that are not in use
42:22because we have too much weight on the
42:23belt or something like that
42:27you can hear that but from the sound i
42:29can tell that it is a rubber abrasion
42:31from the rollers which doesn't harm the
42:33belt
42:34that will have to be fixed soon but it's
42:35not urgent
42:40millions of tons of coal and ores are
42:42stored in the port area
42:44when a new cargo arrives the buyers send
42:47their inspectors
42:48they will inspect the goods rudi
42:50endarling visits the quality inspector
43:07works for a dutch company he travels all
43:10over europe
43:12when a ship load arrives he travels
43:14there and checks the quality
43:16he takes random samples that are later
43:18examined in the laboratory
43:20workers from hamburg used to do this job
43:23but the dutchman
43:24is cheaper globalization has long since
43:26become part of everyday life
43:28in the port as well coal stockpiles
43:31run the risk of catching fire therefore
43:33the inspector regularly checks the
43:38temperature
43:43we just check if there's no iron in it
43:44because of magnets or plastic or wood
43:47it's just a visual inspection what we do
43:50control over
43:56hansa port is the port's future man is
43:59replaced by the computer
44:02the port area covers more than seven
44:04hectares
44:05countless companies have settled here
44:08the inspectors for plant health control
44:10are at a granite dealer in the afternoon
44:14we have to go to the front the new one
44:16there with the red tape the one with the
44:18red strapping right
44:22first we look at the stamps which are
44:24important in terms of the country code
44:26and that they're treated this could be
44:28an mb which stands for
44:30methyl bromide a fumigation these are
44:32now heat treated
44:34we're talking about the asian hardwood
44:35beetle which looks like this and is also
44:37difficult to control
44:38if it's found we had that in bavaria in
44:40fed cursion where the whole forest was
44:42cleared the grove
44:43and shredded to under one centimeters so
44:45that the big critters are gone
44:47then everything's burned and the trees
44:48along the access roads cut down
44:50that could lead to tremendous economic
44:51damage
44:54knows the hiding places of the asian
44:56longhorn beetle
45:00so this could be a borehole but since
45:04you can't get any further here and there
45:05are no chips that would come loose and
45:07get stuck in the borehole
45:09this is simply another type of damage
45:11and not a borehole
45:14the inspectors returned to the
45:15laboratory here they continue their
45:17detective work
45:26so here we have our samples that we just
45:28took now in the cocoa warehouse
45:31they are now being sifted to see if
45:32there's anything more to be found in the
45:34sample
45:37with coco in particular the inspectors
45:40only see
45:41whether there are any pests between the
45:43beans after sieving
45:50it's estimated that 20 percent of annual
45:53cocoa cultivation
45:54falls victim to harmful fungi insects
45:57and viruses
45:58this is particularly true for premium
46:00cocoa varieties that are especially
46:02vulnerable
46:05the insects are reversed to light and
46:07have an escape reflex
46:09they try to escape immediately like here
46:10for example we have a beetle that is
46:12trying to escape right now
46:16the bugs are also very small and their
46:17color and shape are almost
46:19unnoticeable you really need a trained
46:23eye to find these things
46:28the cargo of cocoa appears to be
46:30infested with pests
46:31the inspectors have to decide whether
46:33they agree to the resale to
46:35other eu countries
46:40if we have a longhorn beetle larva in
46:42there for example
46:44it's the same as if i have a big tree
46:46that is hollowed out from the inside
46:49it dies off at some point
46:52so what do we do now well we've cooled
46:55first and say we have infestation
46:57and there's no phyto-sanitary
46:58certificate let's see what they come
47:00back with
47:01yeah it's either a case of substitution
47:03or fumigation or fumigation yeah
47:05the situation looks better for the
47:07citrus fruits
47:08i think so unlike the cocoa where we
47:11have an infestation
47:12which is an export this is an import and
47:15they now get a release from us for
47:17customers
47:18that the goods can be imported into the
47:20eu
47:21meanwhile shipping traffic is jammed at
47:24the container terminal
47:25a large container freighter wants to
47:27dock its sister ship
47:28is getting ready to leave we got one of
47:31them the little one goes away
47:33all canned goods there the kyoto express
47:36leaves the port after more than 36 hours
47:40that looks good i'd say but i would
47:41never go on a ship like that
47:44because first of all they don't have any
47:45more birthing times
47:48it used to be that they were on the kai
47:49for three weeks and today they moor
47:51there for two days and then they set
47:53sail again
47:54you only see water nah that's not for me
47:58the ocean liner of course has
48:00right-of-way the barge captains must let
48:03him pass
48:03and only then can they moor their barge
48:06she has loaded crates that are to be
48:08unloaded immediately
48:10to do this the barge has to be moved to
48:12the right berth
48:21henry hertendoff can't relate to the
48:23world of containers
48:25but he has respect for the art of bridge
48:27operators
48:31it's got to lie perfectly on the fender
48:33here
48:34i'd say it's about 60 meters where he's
48:36sitting up there
48:38and then he's got to hit a small hole
48:39like this down here
48:41with a spreader that's no easy feat i'd
48:44say
48:45there's a lot of know-how in that the
48:48barge gets unloaded within a few minutes
48:50but it will remain at the pier until the
48:52next day when it will receive new cargo
48:59for the young harbor skipper and the
49:01experienced viewer guide it's end of
49:03shift for the day
49:05the old tugboat built in 1909 takes them
49:08back to the piers
49:14i don't like being at home either i'd
49:16love to work in the water all the time
49:19and as i said that's the way it is it's
49:21in the blood
49:23either you do it or you leave it alone
49:28men like henry are the exception but
49:30they still exist
49:32if you want to you can still find the
49:34old harbor within the modern digital
49:36harbor
49:36the one of general cargo handshakes and
49:39the longing
49:40for far away places

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