The rooms of the German Seamen’s Mission are located directly behind the harbour restaurant at Rostock’s overseas port. The port was established 65 years ago, but the seamen’s mission and club didn’t open until after the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the supporting society was founded in 1991. The head of the mission is Birgit Haaks, a trained counsellor. Born in Düsseldorf and with a curly mane, she started at the Rostock Seamen’s Mission in October 2022, taking over the manager position shortly afterwards. Having worked in Schleswig-Holstein, Chile and Leipzig, she felt drawn to the Warnow region. The 59-year-old is currently training as a community educator alongside her job.
In the mornings, the team visits ships at the overseas port and fishing harbour. The “Hollfast” seamen’s opens from 5 to 10 pm. In Low German, Hollfast means ‘support’. And that expresses exactly what the Seamen’s Mission team does for seafarers: they help them cope with everyday challenges and always have an open ear for their worries and concerns.
A popular meeting place
At the club, seafarers like to use the local Wi-Fi network for video calls. At the shop, they buy SIM cards, small Rostock souvenirs, chocolate or a local beer. From April to October, the Seafarers’ Lounge for crews from cruise ships calling at Rostock-Warnemünde opens additionally. The lounge is just a stone’s throw away from the cruise ship berths. Up to 100 parcels for seafarers are delivered to this address and picked up every week.
Birgit Haaks’ team of three full-time employees is supported by eight volunteers who help out at the club, make on-board visits or drive the cars. The team picks up seafarers at the oil terminal, the fishing harbour or the Warnemünde pier and takes them to the Seamen’s Club or offers trips to the city or excursions. Seafarers also receive help if they have issues with their wages. Around 20 seamen visit the club on average every day. They can make themselves comfortable there and have a cup of tea or coffee. In addition to crisps, nuts and drinks, hygiene products are also sold. “Chocolate is also good. The sailors like to eat snacks here,” says Birgit Haaks. Customers can also exchange money and make international bank transfers at the counter.
Rostock’s city centre is some twelve kilometres away, another reason for the seafarers to enjoy a visit to the club. Birgit Haaks loves visiting ships and interacting with the seafarers in general: “I enjoy being here in the evening, talking and asking them how they are doing.” She will have more time for this next year after completing her training. When the rapeseed is in bloom, Haaks sometimes takes the sailors out on a short ride past the golden-yellow splendour of the fields. “The seafarers often film a lot or share the view in online calls with their families so they can participate in the live experience.”
Her full-time employee Amelie Hanck is especially fond of the on-board visits. “I always think it’s cool when I bump into people who have been here at the club before. I get the feeling that it’s a bit easier to strike up a conversation or they stop at the bar for a chat,” says the 27-year-old. “I think the seamen just feel comfortable spending time here or playing pool.”
Christmas gifts at Rostock port
Under the banner of “Rostock thinks of seafarers”, the Seamen’s Mission in Rostock, Germany receives generous support from church congregations and people from the region every December. In 2024, around 440 Christmas gift bags were filled with home-knitted socks, hats and scarves. The bags also contained chocolates, gingerbread, toiletries and Christmas greetings.
On St Nicholas Day on 6 December every year, the team carries Christmas trees on board the ships in port; and, notwithstanding the imponderabilities of everyday life, the seafarers can count on being able to attend a Christmas service on Christmas Eve at the Seamen’s Mission. And, of course, no one leaves the club without a present.
Edwin Becker-Wichmann, who works full-time at the Rostock Seamen’s Mission, set up a project with doctors’ offices last year: wool and knitting needles with first stitches already on them were placed in waiting rooms. Anyone who wanted to could spend their waiting time knitting, followed by the next patient until the scarf was finished. Seafarers benefitted from the commitment of Rostock citizens who had no other touchpoints with life at sea.
The “knitting fairies” are people who dedicate time for seafarers all year round, meeting every fortnight to knit together. “Of course, hats, scarves, socks and jumpers are really popular in winter,” says Amelie Hanck. The warm items make a difference in everyday life on board. “Filipinos completely underestimate winter, especially on their first trip. They sometimes arrive here in flip-flops and a sweatshirt. So the woollen socks are a great thing. They aren’t familiar with knitted things either, but they learn to appreciate them very quickly,” says Birgit Haaks.
The services offered by the Rostock Seamen’s Mission
- Visits on board (almost 2,500 encounters with seafarers every year)
- Society house and seamen’s club at the overseas port counts around 3,000 visitors per year
- Staff drives visitors to the city centre for sightseeing or shopping
- Help with booking public transit tickets
- Hospital visits
- Psychosocial emergency care
- Church service visits or a prayer services on request
- Open to Federal Voluntary Service
