AI improving security in Port of Hamburg

21 June 2024

Hamburg's waterway police use AI to detect undeclared dangerous goods in containers

Waterways police are now using artificial intelligence to improve safety in the Port of Hamburg and to detect dangerous, undeclared goods, according to a press release in June. This has been facilitated by the InnoTecHH Fund, overseen by the Office for IT and Digitalisation in the Senate Chancellery.

AI recommending containers for inspection

"Thanks to AI, my colleagues now have an innovative tool at their disposal that significantly improves their own safety and that of the port," said Olaf Hagenloch, Deputy Head of the Hamburg Waterway Police. Around 7.7 million container units were handled in 2023. However, not all dangerous goods were classified and declared accordingly. This could spark fires aboard ships as occurred in 2016. Until now, containers have been inspected manually and on a random basis. In future, AI-based software will use algorithms to determine containers for inspection and to track down dangerous, undeclared goods swiftly.

Hamburg advancing novel technologies

The InnoTecHH Fund should ensure the successful use of the AI tool in the Port of Hamburg. The chancellery is lending its support to authorities in Hamburg that are developing and trialling ideas for the use of AI and other new technologies. The city’s local government has been helped integrate AI to simplify and speed up procedures. AI is also increasingly finding its way into the economy as reflected by the many tech start-ups in the city.

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