By
Rebecca Gibson |
The German Seamen’s Mission has opened its new Seafarers’ Lounge in the Ostseekai Cruise Terminal at the Port of Kiel.
Similar to facilities in Hamburg and Venice, the new Seamen’s Lounge offers crew a place to meet with other seafarers, contact family and friends and seek advice from the Seamen’s Mission.
The 140 sqm facility was built over an eight-month period and offers recreation rooms, computer workstations with internet access, a private room, a kitchen area and a small shop selling food and telephone cards.
“My thanks go to the state of Schleswig-Holstein and the Port of Kiel, as well as to all the other partners who have contributed to the successful completion of such an important project,” said Jochen Hinz, chairman of the German Seamen’s Mission in Kiel. “The new Seafarers’ Lounge provides the Seamen’s Mission with the best kind of structural and equipment requirements.”
The €400,000 building was subsidised by the state of Schleswig-Holstein, the International Transport Federation and the Port of Kiel. During the opening ceremony Dr Frank Nägele, State Secretary of the Schleswig-Holstein Economics Ministry, handed over an authorisation granting €300,000 of funding from the German government for investment in seaports.
“The Port of Kiel has already done a lot to create outstanding infrastructures for cruise ships and their passengers,” said Nägele. “I am delighted that with the creation of the new Seafarers Lounge, the seamen have now also been taken into account in such an exemplary way. Within the often hectic working environment of seaman the Seafarers’ Lounge will offer privacy and a place for personal discussions.”
Around 800 crew members from TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 1 were the first to use the lounge, before the ship embarked on a Nordic cruise from the Ostseekai terminal. The Seafarers’ Lounge opened an hour after the ship’s arrival and closed an hour before she left Kiel.
“I am very pleased that we were able to create an area for the German Seamen’s Mission so close to cruise ships,” said Dirk Scheelje, chairman of the port’s supervisory board. “The Seafarers’ Lounge will be very useful for ship crews and is a showcase project for the Baltic region.”
This year, Kiel is set to handle 125 calls from 22 cruise ships, which will carry around 100,000 crew members.