Hamburg Port Alliance brings relief supplies to Odessa

On Thursday, the “Hamburg-Odessa Port Bridge” action alliance, consisting of several Hamburg aid organisations, companies and associations, sent urgently needed relief supplies to Odessa. The recipient is a children’s hospital in the Odessa region.

The Port of Hamburg and the Ukrainian Port of Odessa have a long-standing partnership – not least because of the Container Terminal Odessa (CTO), which the Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) has been operating on the Black Sea for more than 20 years. Several partners have joined forces in the “Hamburg-Odessa Harbour Bridge” alliance to support the people of Odessa and the region affected by the war. The initiators “Der HAFEN HILFT”, the Ukrainian Relief Corps, the Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), the Humanitarian Logistics Organisation (HLO) and Hafen Hamburg Marketing e.V. have jointly appealed to their networks for donations.

The funds were swiftly utilized to procure urgently needed relief supplies including medical consumables, food, and medical technology, requested by a children’s hospital in the Odessa region. The HHLA is organising the transportation of these materials from Hamburg’s Altenwerder Container Terminal to the Ukrainian port city with the help of its European logistics network, including its rail subsidiary Metrans.

“The past few weeks have shown us once again how much the civilian population in Odessa is suffering as a result of the war. We are therefore pleased to be able to contribute to alleviating the emergency situation. At the same time, we are impressed by the willingness to donate and the efficiency of the network of Hamburg logistics companies. We would like to express our sincere thanks on behalf of all the partners involved,” concludes Axel Mattern, CEO of Port of Hamburg Marketing.

“Even more than two years after the start of the war, images of violence and destruction from Ukraine continue to shake us every day. HHLA feels a special bond with the Ukraine through its terminal in Odessa. A big thank you therefore goes to all those involved and the many committed employees who have made this further delivery of urgently needed goods possible,” says Angela Titzrath, HHLA CEO.

Upon arrival in the Black Sea port, the humanitarian coordination team of the Odessa Military Administration will ensure the distribution of the aid.

Donations can still be made to the North German-Ukrainian aid organisation with the reference “Port of Hamburg helps Odessa”. All necessary information can be found at https://hilfe-ua.de/donate/.