30 March 2023 | Regensburg
Politics meets port: Bundestag MP completes internship at bayernhafen Regensburg
Dr Carolin Wagner gains first-hand experience of port operations
The programme included several hands-on stops at bayernhafen Regensburg, where the Bundestag MP, Dr Carolin Wagner, could get stuck in.
Regensburg, 30.03.2023 – German Bundestag MP Dr Carolin Wagner (SPD) took to the heights for her political port internship at bayernhafen Regensburg on 22 March 2023. During her immersive behind-the-scenes look at Bavaria’s leading inland port, Dr Wagner gained hands-on experience of what the port does to ensure that the people and companies in the region are supplied with the goods they need in the daily lives. At her side throughout the day was Carsten Conrad, the Branch Manager of bayernhafen Regensburg, who drew on examples of daily operations to highlight the specific opportunities and challenges facing the future of the port as it undergoes digital transformation and transitions to cleaner modes of transport and energy.
“bayernhafen is of great importance to the region as a whole. The opportunities offered by the potential transport of green hydrogen in particular demonstrate the key role bayernhafen will also play in the transformation process,” said Dr Carolin Wagner.
The first stop in her internship was the Trailerport operated by bayernhafen, which, in addition to containers, mainly handles semi-trailers and swap bodies. Semi-trailers and swap bodies are particularly used for transporting freight on domestic German and European routes and offer enormous potential for accelerating the modal shift from road to rail. Dr Wagner used a reach stacker to unload semi-trailers from the train and got first-hand experience of the shunting process with the aid of a road/rail Unimog.
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Video statement by Dr Carolin Wagner on her port internship
Another highlight of the internship was when she got behind the controls of a state-of-the-art, electric gantry crane to move containers in the trimodal container terminal. The terminal is operated by CTR Container Terminal Regensburg GmbH, which is a member of the IGS Logistics Group. Thanks to the expansion work completed in 2022, which also involved establishing direct access to the port basin, inland barges are now also integrated into the terminal, making it the only trimodal container terminal in eastern Bavaria. The steep climb up the gantry crane was rewarded with a fantastic view of Regensburg in the glorious spring weather.
Dr Wagner also reached lofty heights when she ascended Port Crane 20, where her bird’s-eye view of bulk-goods handling operations provided a clear illustration of how the port’s functions integrate seamlessly with each other.
Also high on the agenda were the positive effect on employment and the nurturing of young talent. In the maintenance workshop, Dr Wagner talked to the supervisors to find out about training opportunities and the wide range of jobs offered at the port. bayernhafen trains not only tradespeople, such as electricians and industrial mechanics, but also employees engaged in planning and administration, such as technical draughtspeople, IT specialists, commercial clerks and real estate managers.
“I am really pleased that we could give Dr Wagner an in-depth insight into what makes bayernhafen Regensburg the freight hub for the whole of eastern Bavaria. Dr Wagner was able to gain first-hand experience of what the port and, above all, the many dedicated people who work here do every day to not only ensure that the people and companies in the region are supplied with the goods they need, but also to drive the transition towards climate-friendly freight transport. Thank you so much for the interesting discussions and your hands-on commitment,” said Carsten Conrad, summing up the internship.
The port internship is a multiplier programme supported by the Federal Association of Public Inland Ports (BÖB), of which bayernhafen is a member. The programme enables elected public officials to gain first-hand experience of the work that inland ports perform and the important role they play. bayernhafen comprises six locations: Aschaffenburg, Bamberg, Nuremberg, Roth, Regensburg and Passau.
