Anny von Hamburg is far from seaworthy

Deck of Anny von Hamburg

Credit: Ulrich Schlüter

Translated NWZ article from German to English:

"Anny von Hamburg" is far from seaworthy

Captain and shipowner Cornelius Bockermann is having the sailing ship "Anny von Hamburg" thoroughly surveyed. However, it is questionable whether the ship will later transport cargo for Timbercoast across the seas.

By Petra Herterich 06.03.2019

Elsfleth/Leer - A good five months ago, the "Anny von Hamburg" left the port of Leer. The sailing ship, built in 1914 at the C. Lühring shipyard in Kirchhammelwarden, was brought to the Elsfleth shipyard. The traditional shipyard, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016, filed for bankruptcy on February 20. But the three-masted gaff schooner is not affected by this. "We have not yet placed any orders with the shipyard. We are only using a jetty there and are working on the ship ourselves," says Cornelius Bockermann.

Cornelius Bockermann is a shipowner and captain. He studied nautical science and marine engineering at the Ostfriesland University of Applied Sciences and was an entrepreneur for 20 years. His shipping company Timbercoast, which he founded in 2013 and is based in Elsfleth, is intended to be a counter-model to today's freight shipping. The cargo sailing ship "Avontuur" is currently the shipping company's only ship. He now wants to use the "Anny" either as a cargo sailing ship or as a passenger ship. "That has not yet been finally decided. We first have to take a very close look at the ship," says Cornelius Bockermann.

The "Anny" had been moored in Leer's leisure harbor off the Nesse for around eight years before entrepreneur Hans Georg Näder, head of the Otto Bock group of companies based in Duderstadt in Lower Saxony, took it over last September. Its management also runs the company Timbercoast, whose specialty is transporting freight on sailing ships in a climate-friendly way.

An initial ultrasound examination of the ship's hull revealed that the "Anny" was in a "very poor condition," stresses Cornelius Bockermann. And that's not all - the white lady is indeed showing its age: the rigging needs to be overhauled, "the foremast is scrap and everything under the teak deck is rusting away," according to the initial survey.

To what extent the "Anny" will actually be restored to its original condition is not yet clear, says the captain. "According to initial estimates, the cost of the basic renovation is between two and three million euros," he says.

Whether the sailing ship will remain in Elsfleth is still completely open. "We'll put the work out to tender and see which shipyard comes up with the best offer. Then we'll decide," explains Cornelius Bockermann. So far, however, they have always been "very satisfied" with the Elsfleth shipyard. "The shipyard is still full of ships," notes Cornelius Bockermann. He is convinced that they will survive the insolvency.

While the fate of the training ship "Gorch Fock" is closely linked to that of the Elsfleth shipyard, the "Anny von Hamburg" remains unaffected. "We are now putting all the systems on the ship back into operation and making it usable again - but it is still a long way from being seaworthy," says Cornelius Bockermann.

Cornelius Bockermann and his team have been transporting freight using wind power on the cargo sailing ship "Avontuur" since 2016. His aim is to "create the connection between sustainable production and responsible consumption." The "Anny" is also intended to be used for this purpose.

But above all, they wanted to save it from decay. Because it is still a gem. Even a sailor like Cornelius Bockermann starts raving about it: "The interior and the salon alone are simply wonderful." Perhaps the former cargo sailing ship will become a passenger ship under sail after all.