{"id":1790,"date":"2026-05-19T11:49:07","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T09:49:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/blog\/ports-are-awesome-why-dortmund-port-deserves-more-attention\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T16:37:44","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T14:37:44","slug":"ports-are-awesome-why-dortmund-port-deserves-more-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/blog\/ports-are-awesome-why-dortmund-port-deserves-more-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"“Ports are Awesome!” \u2013 Why Dortmund Port Deserves More Attention"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Dortmund, January 26, 2026 \u2013 Bettina Brennenstuhl worked in public service for many years before joining her current position at the port. As Executive Board Member of Dortmunder Hafen AG, she is responsible for the strategic and operational management of the company, entrusted with a diverse range of tasks from personnel management to finance. In this context, she also maintains close contact with the innovation platform startport GmbH, a subsidiary of Duisburger Hafen AG. <\/em><\/p>\n\n

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Bettina Brennenstuhl, Dortmunder Hafen AG<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

What responsibilities does one assume as head of Dortmunder Hafen AG?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

“Honestly, that’s not an easy question, because the job is incredibly diverse. As head of Dortmunder Hafen AG, you are involved in many different topics: from marketing to personnel management to finance. And yet, no two days are alike. <\/p>\n\n

A large part of my daily routine consists of conversations \u2013 internally with the managers here on site, but also externally with the city community, with other ports, or political stakeholders. My role as chairwoman of the NRW Ports Working Group and my participation in the presidium of the Federal Association naturally add additional appointments and exchange formats. I am also in close contact with the NRW Ministry of Transport. <\/p>\n\n

My working day is therefore shaped by my calendar. Ultimately, as the top executive, I am responsible for keeping things running. It is particularly important to me to provide employees with a good framework so that they can perform their tasks as best as possible. I myself focus primarily on strategic issues and on positioning the port well for the long term.” <\/p>\n\n

Your saying “Ports are awesome” has already made many waves. Why do you think the saying works? <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

“I believe the saying works because it is extremely simple and therefore memorable. It polarizes a bit, arouses curiosity, and breaks with what one usually expects from ports. At the moment, it still works really well, but I am also aware that such phrases eventually run their course. <\/p>\n\n

“Ports are awesome” came about quite spontaneously, by the way. That was during a discussion about sustainable Rhine shipping in D\u00fcsseldorf, and the sentence just slipped out. Perhaps that is precisely why it had such an impact. It wasn’t planned, not polished, but honest and from the moment.”<\/p>\n

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Bettina Brennenstuhl’s LinkedIn post generated positive feedback within the industry<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

How do you view LinkedIn from your position?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

“Honestly, I’m a bit ambivalent about it. Basically, I have nothing to do with social media, and I’m not active there privately either. However, as soon as it has a professional component, I find it acceptable, because today it’s simply part of showing yourself to the outside world as a company or as a person representing a company. <\/p>\n\n

I was all the more surprised by the response to my first LinkedIn post. I don’t see myself there as a private person, but as a representative of the company. The fact that it went so viral really overwhelmed me.” <\/p>\n\n

What makes inland ports so special?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

“What makes inland ports special is primarily their location. They are located in the middle of the inland, not on the sea or ocean, and that is precisely why they are often not properly perceived. Many people in their own city don’t even know that there is an inland port there. In Dortmund, it’s exactly the same. Although there is even a highway exit named Hafen (Port), many Dortmund residents hardly know what actually happens here every day. <\/p>\n\n

This is precisely what makes inland ports so special, but also so invisible. They are located in the middle of the city and yet are hardly present in public awareness. This is not only the case in Dortmund but also in many other inland port cities. <\/p>\n\n

In addition, there is the infrastructure. Especially in North Rhine-Westphalia, we have something extraordinary with our waterways compared to other federal states. Large quantities of goods can be transported via these canals, in a climate-friendly and efficient manner. The potential that lies within this is currently far from being fully exploited. <\/p>\n\n

It is therefore all the more important to make the enormous significance of inland ports for freight transport more visible, to explain it more transparently, and to make it more tangible for the public.”<\/p>\n\n

To what extent does Dortmund Port address sustainability?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

“Sustainability is also a very important topic for us, which we are intensively addressing. We are in close exchange with the city and our parent company, Dortmunder Stadtwerke. At the same time, our scope of action is somewhat structurally limited because Dortmund Port does not own its own properties and does not operate its own transshipment business. <\/p>\n\n

All the more important is the regular dialogue with the port tenants in the port area. We jointly examine what measures are possible, where we can provide support, and whether it makes sense to use funding. Our approach is not to view sustainability in isolation, but to advance it step by step together with all stakeholders.” <\/p>\n\n

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Below in the photo are the railway tracks where the new terminal is to be built. Directly above are the logistics centers of Decathlon (left), DHL (right), and above them, among others, the Amazon centers. (Photo: Hans Blossey) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

What projects are planned for the future?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n

“We are currently planning a new intermodal terminal with a focus on trailer transshipment. Dortmunder Hafen AG, Duisburger Hafen AG, and Captrain Deutschland GmbH are jointly involved in this project. Dortmund Port already has a trimodal container terminal that primarily focuses on maritime traffic, i.e., containers. The new terminal is specifically designed to meet the demand in the trailer sector, as many large companies that primarily generate continental trailer traffic are located here in Dortmund. <\/p>\n\n

The goal is to shift more freight traffic from road to rail. This constellation is a very good combination for that. Duisburger Hafen AG contributes its great expertise in terminal operations, Captrain is a strong partner as a railway transport company, and we, as Dortmunder Hafen AG, know the local conditions and can actively shape the project. This also shows that ports can indeed cooperate with each other. <\/p>\n\n

In parallel, the DOckGuard (Digi-Test) project is underway, scheduled for three years until 2027.<\/p>\n\n

As part of the project, a digital test field will be established in Dortmund Port, which, after successful project completion, will enable testing of innovative AI-based methods for logistics optimization, environmental monitoring, real-time situational awareness, and the validation of AIS (Automatic Identification System) data. As the basis for the test fields, an autonomy-capable network of directional radio and LTE connections will be built across the distributed locations. Using various camera systems and multimodal sensors, including underwater, technologies for real-time situational awareness generation will be promoted. A networked weather station can provide autonomous units with precise data for maneuvering. The uniqueness of this test field is achieved by providing a fully digital radio device, which for the first time enables the testing of autonomous communication processes for ship registrations, traffic planning, and safety information. Furthermore, it can be used to validate the cooperatively transmitted AIS data of the ships with the camera data.” <\/p>\n\n

If you could wish for something to happen with Dortmund Port, what would it be?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n
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“My wish would actually be for us, as Hafen AG, to handle goods ourselves at Dortmund Port.” <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n

“Currently, however, the port is operating at 100% capacity, and many of the existing contracts have been running for decades, some even for around a hundred years. To acquire new areas, either a company would have to vacate its site, contracts would have to expire, or land would have to be purchased for very high sums. All of this happens very rarely in practice. <\/p>\n\n

One must also not forget that with our own transshipment operations, we would actively intervene in the market and thus compete with port companies already established here. This is a sensitive point and must be strategically well considered and prepared so that the port is not weakened in the end. <\/p>\n\n

If we were to handle transshipment ourselves in the future, it would most likely be in the area of heavy and oversized transports. There would certainly be potential there to create meaningful offerings. However, for the near future, this is not a realistic scenario, but rather a rough idea with a long-term horizon.” <\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the interview, the Executive Board Member of Dortmunder Hafen AG discusses her varied daily work, the underestimated importance of inland ports, and current future projects concerning sustainability and digitalization.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1791,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-logistics-partner","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1792,"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1790\/revisions\/1792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.startport.net\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}