Container terminal in the war zone – Hamburg port evacuates people from Odessa
The port of Odessa has been closed since the end of February due to the war
Quelle: picture alliance / ZUMAPRESS.com
The Hamburg Port Authority operates a container terminal in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa. The city is currently preparing for a Russian shelling. Port employees and their relatives are brought to Hamburg.
“How can I make a process more efficient?” is a question that Pascal Brockmann often asks himself in his everyday work. He has worked for Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) for over ten years, is now Director of Operations and IT at HHLA International and is therefore also responsible for terminals in the Estonian capital of Tallinn and the Ukrainian port of Odessa.
But his day-to-day work hasn’t been the same since the Ukrainian metropolis on the Black Sea became the target of Russian attacks. At the beginning of the millennium, HHLA took over a port facility in Odessa – and operated the most important container terminal in the Ukraine.
Brockmann was there a few times himself. On February 24, the terminal was evacuated and around 480 employees were sent home because the situation had become too dangerous. Shortly thereafter, the authorities closed the port.
“Like all of us, I was completely blown away by the news two weeks ago,” Brockmann told WELT. Since then he has asked himself what could be done specifically to help the employees. At the end of February, under his direction, a separate project team “Odessa” was formed within the company with around 15 employees, including mainly managers and Russian-speaking employees.
Since then, Brockmann’s main task has been to keep an eye on the current situation and to organize offers of help for the Ukrainian employees and their families. In order to have his back free, his other tasks were mainly handed over to other employees.
Evacuation for wives and children of employees
The processes got going immediately, donations were collected within a very short time, employees in Hamburg have agreed to take in refugees. “As a logistics company, we have a certain advantage when it comes to setting up and coordinating transports quickly,” says Brockmann.
While most of the staff are men with Ukrainian citizenship who are currently not allowed to leave the country, a large-scale evacuation operation has been launched for women and children. The refugees met at a collection point in Romania and boarded buses organized by HHLA. Some are also on their way to Germany in private cars.
The first two buses with around 80 refugees arrived in Hamburg’s warehouse district on Wednesday. Another bus with around 40 people is on its way and is expected on Thursday.
The arrival was “quite uncomplicated and pragmatic”. From the trainee to the porter to the manager, everyone lent a hand, carried suitcases and helped to bring the families and Hamburg HHLA employees together.
Satellite phones for emergencies
Accommodation is already available for those arriving. “The wave of helpfulness and solidarity is overwhelming,” said Brockmann. Around 70 HHLA employees, their relatives, friends and neighbors offered to take in the refugees – the offer of accommodation was even greater than the demand. “I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved.”
For the remaining employees in the Ukraine, however, the situation is still tense. Because of the exit ban that has been imposed, they have to stay in the country – and it is difficult to predict how the situation in Odessa will develop. Some are housed in their apartments or elsewhere, HHLA did not want to provide any more detailed information.
“We are in daily contact with our employees on site,” says Brockmann. Communication can currently be made using the usual methods, via e-mail and instant messaging services – the Internet would still work without any problems. In the event that the infrastructure collapses, satellite phones are available to employees.
Ukrainian President Zelensky warned in a video message on Sunday that Odessa would be bombed. So far, the city has been spared, but now you have to prepare for the Russian shelling. He warned of missile strikes and declared: “It will be a war crime, a historic crime.”
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