Oldendorff Centenary Book - Flipbook - Page 63
OLDENDORFF –
A NAME OF QUALITY
For a century, the name Oldendorff has been a guarantee. A promise of quality,
built on the standards adopted by both Egon and Henning Oldendorff. If a deal is
agreed, it will be honoured. The market may move and make the deal unprofitable,
but the value of our reputation for integrity far outweighs any short-term loss.
Until changes to the legal structure
were implemented in 2004, the
owners were in fact personally
liable for the promises made on
the company’s behalf, but Egon and
Henning would both freely admit
that the company’s reputation is
not about them, but a testament to
the quality of the people who have
represented the company, both on
land and at sea.
QUALITY OF SEAMANSHIP
Since the first freighters began
working the Baltic and North Sea
routes, standards of seamanship
have been exceptionally high. The
company chose its people carefully,
trained them well – many “from
cadet to captain” – and trusted
them to serve the needs of the
company, its customers and fellow
crew members.
They had to be not just diligent,
but also innovative. Arno Reuter, as
superintendent of the fleet, recalls
an example, when the lower part of
the rudder of the Yeoman Bank was
lost in the middle of the Atlantic
Ocean in high seas. Rather than
pay for an expensive salvage, the
decision was made for the bosun
to climb down and manually attach
wires spooled on the aft mooring
winches to the sides of the rudder,
and add ballast to heavily trim
the vessel aft, altering the vessel’s
angle in the water to ensure the
upper remnants of the rudder were
submerged – this enabled the ship to
limp back to Cadiz for repairs using
the aft mooring winches for steering.
The quality of the people working
for Oldendorff led naturally to
excellent relationships with other
companies, which would pay
dividends. When the 26,000 tdw
Henry Oldendorff was left high
and dry on a Mississippi mudbank
after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the
salvage vultures began to circle.
Salvaging stricken vessels was a
lucrative business because costs
were calculated as a percentage of
the value of both vessel and cargo
combined. But Oldendorff’s then
Head of Operations , Horst Nowak,
pointed out that Oldendorff has
always had excellent relationships
with a local tug company. A phone
call later they agreed to help refloat
the vessel for the standard fee,
thus saving Oldendorff – and their
customer – millions. Horst would
have to wait a few hours, however,
as they had first to remove a ship
that Hurricane Katrina had washed
up into their office...
There was also a formal code of
conduct amongst Oldendorff crew
members. When a fee-paying
passenger sadly died on board the
Oldendorff vessel NZOL Challenger
in 1984, the entire crew turned out
in uniform as the coffin was carried
ashore at the next port.
As Oldendorff moves into its next
chapter – with a modern, eco-friendly
fleet purpose-built to meet the
59
sky-high demands of Oldendorff’s
commercial department – there
is a confidence that those same
standards of innovation, quality
and respect will prevail. The
fleet department, the company’s
backbone, will continue to drive
the reputation of what has become
one of the world’s most reliable
and reputed shipping companies.
DOING WHAT’S RIGHT
Within the company, there has
always been a strong sense of
family. There are many who have
worked, either on the ships or
in the offices for over 40 years.
Oldendorffers have often given
their children the middle name of
favourite vessels. It speaks volumes
about the company to note that
internal romances and relationships
– frowned upon by formal HR
policies at so many companies
– are celebrated. Oldendorffers
enjoy good times together, and
also show solidarity when times
are hard. When an employee lost
her belongings in a house fire and
had no insurance to cover them,
her colleagues in Lübeck collected
enough to cover her losses.
Egon and Henning may have been
quite different in their approach,
but together they have created a
company that believes in doing the
right thing. The name Oldendorff
means a company that customers
are proud to work with, and that
people are proud to work for.
