Pier and transhipment facilities:
– 10.5 t load capacity of the overhead crane in hook operation mode (7.5 t load capacity in grab operation mode)
– 8.00 m guaranteed draught in front of the pier at low tide
– 200 m is the maximum length of the vessels that can be handled
– 115,000 t lead intermediates are handled on average per year
The Friedrich-August-Hütte, founded by the Metallwerke Unterweser AG and named after the Grand Duke of Oldenburg, lies at the mouth of the Weser into the North Sea. With the contract between the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg and Metallwerke Unterweser AG dated November 13, 1906, the pier and port facility was approved as a supply port for the zinc smelter planned at that time. The location of the “smelter by the sea” is still an enormous logistical advantage for Weser-Metall GmbH and Nordenhamer Zinkhütte GmbH. After the dissolution of the Grand Duchy, the rights and obligations arising from this contract were transferred to the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration, whose approval is required for a change or sale of the port operations.
The length of the port, which is fortified on the water side, is 178 m and borders on the north on the pier of Stührenberg GmbH & Co. KG, with which Weser-Metall GmbH has been working closely for many years (e.g. handling of large seagoing and inland vessels). The guaranteed draught in front of the pier at low tide is 8.00 m, but can be increased to 8.50 m by shifting the sediment from the demolition edge to the couch tub. Since the port facility is located on the natural stream in the brackish water zone, silt deposits repeatedly occur at the demolition edge, which have to be removed by stirring the sludge in the ebb stream. The tidal range in the harbour is approx. 3.80 m. In order to avoid dust nuisance to the environment, the ores and bulk materials of Nordenhamer Zinkhütte GmbH and Weser-Metall GmbH are unloaded via a sealed conveyor belt system and fed to the respective operations. Liquid goods, e.g. sulphuric acid, are loaded via pipelines with pumps.