a selection of pictures of the

Summer 2004 

NORD NEWS

2 

A SELECTION OF PICTURES OF THE 

“SUPEREVENT” 

The four Godmothers with the senior officers of 

NORDVENUS and NORDMARS 

A group photograph taken after the Naming Ceremony 

From left to right, Mr. Christian Oldendorff, Baroness 

Margret von Schorlemer, Mrs. Dorothea Schostack, 

Mr. Nikolaus Oldendorff, and standing behind 

Countess Bettina von Kerssenbrock and 

Mrs. Insa Thiele 

NORD NEWS Summer 2004 

Mr. Peter Rybarczyk 

Managing Director - of our 

Hamburg Office 

Mr. Jonathan Holloway, General Manager, 

at the signing ceremony with 

Dr. Kurt Klemme, of our Hamburg Office 

The congratulatory card presented to 

Mrs. Oldendorff by the staff of NORD Limassol

Dear Seafarers and Readers! 

Each time before writing this editorial I like to look back at the last Nord News to see how things 

have moved along. In March we had just sold 6 ships, but were looking forward to the delivery of our 

four panamax tankers. 

Those ships, the so called 'Planet' class, have been delivered and are now trading and carrying 

their first cargoes. Because of the close delivery dates I decided we should have a combined naming 

ceremony for all four ships. To do such a thing is rather unique so I named it the 'SUPEREVENT', and 

a large part of this edition of Nord News is dedicated to what happened on 26th March 2004 in Ulsan, 

Korea. 

Originally I had five sisters, but sadly one passed away in 1996, so with four remaining sisters 

and with four ships needing new names it was the perfect combination. Unfortunately just a few days 

before we were due to travel to Korea I slipped a disk in my back and on medical advice cancelled my 

personal arrangements. I am glad to report I fully recovered and was well enough to travel to Korea to 

personally take delivery of the last ship, NORDMERKUR on 6th May, as well as signing for the 2 

options of the 3500teu ships we ordered from the STX Shipyard. 

When an important event takes place in our company we send out a Press Release to the main 

maritime publications and also to the local newspapers in Limassol and Hamburg. The following is what 

we sent out after the Superevent. 

On Friday 26th March 2004 a unique event took place at the Ulsan Yard of Hyundai Heavy Industries in Korea. 

This was the simultaneous naming of 4 ships contracted to the yard by Reederei "NORD" Klaus E. Oldendorff Ltd. It was 

the first time in the history of Reederei "NORD" Klaus E. Oldendorff Ltd. and Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, the world's 

largest shipyard, that four ships had been named on the same day. The ships are Panamax Product Tankers of 74,000tdw. 

They will enter the Torm LR1 Pool for commercial management. Reederei "NORD" Klaus E. Oldendorff Ltd. and Torm have 

collaborated together since 1998 in the LR2 Pool, have worked together on this newbuilding project and are pleased to now 

be able to further extend their cooperation. The Chairman and Managing Director of Reederei "NORD" Klaus E. Oldendorff Ltd., 

Mrs. Christiane E. Oldendorff, has 4 sisters and therefore it was fitting that they were the sponsors for these ships. On a 

beautiful spring day in South Korea Mrs. Dorothea Schostack named the NORDMARS, Mrs. Insa Thiele named the 

NORDVENUS, Baroness Margret von Schorlemer named the NORDMERKUR and Countess Bettina von Kerssenbrock 

named the NORDNEPTUN. At the end of the naming ceremony NORDVENUS immediately sailed to go and load her first 

cargo. Two of her sisters will enter service in April, whilst the last ship will be delivered at the beginning of May. 

The front cover shows my sisters and sons in the garden of the Hyundai Guest House: Seated 

from left to right - Countess Bettina von Kerssenbrock, Baroness Margret von Schorlemer, 

Mrs. Insa Thiele and Mrs. Dorothea Schostack. Standing behind left to right are 

Nikolaus and Christian Oldendorff. I hope you enjoy reading about the Superevent on 

the following pages. 

After something as exciting as the Superevent we must come back to reality and 

continue to properly manage the company, especially as we approach the 40th Birthday of 

Reederei 'Nord' Klaus E. Oldendorff on December 12th. I am glad to report that last week I was appointed 

as a Director of The Swedish Club, following in the footsteps of my late husband. Also I wanted to take 

the opportunity to thank everybody onboard all our ships and ashore who has contributed to the 

implementation of the ISPS Code. Everyday you can read in the maritime press about the difficulties 

being faced by others, but I am glad to report that all our ships in the fleet got their International Ship 

Security Certificates comfortably before the 1st July deadline. Well Done! 

Happy sailing! 

Limassol - June 2004 Christiane E. Oldendorff 

NORD NEWS Summer 2004 3

4 

THE SUPEREVENT 

Mr. Jonathan Holloway 

The last shipbuilding contract Mr. Oldendorff 

signed before he passed away, was a 4-ship 

order with Hyundai Heavy Industries for 

Panamax Product Tankers. Those ships the 

"Planet Class" - NORDVENUS, 

NORDMARS, NORDMERKUR and 

NORDNEPTUN entered the fleet between 

26th March and 6th May 2004. Having ships 

ready for delivery so close together meant that 

it was possible to do a combined naming 

ceremony and therefore Mrs. Oldendorff 

decided we should have a 'SUPEREVENT'. 

It is certainly the first time ‘NORD’ has had a 

quadruple naming ceremony. When the idea 

was suggested to Hyundai Heavy Industries we 

found out that this would also be a first for 

them, even though the Ulsan yard where the 

ships were being built is the largest shipyard in 

the world. 

If you are naming four ships then you need 

four godmothers. It just so happens that 

Mrs. Oldendorff has four sisters, so therefore 

we had the perfect combination. However the 

sisters live in different parts of the world so a 

major logistical exercise was undertaken by the 

Hamburg office to make sure they all arrived in 

South Korea on the same day, as well as the 

management representatives of ‘NORD’. 

Unfortunately those travelling to the 

Superevent left their homes with heavy hearts 

when a few days prior to departure Mrs. Oldendorff 

hurt her back and was advised by her doctor 

that a long flight to South Korea would not be 

possible. But all travelling were aware that they 


By Jonathan Holloway 

had an important task to do and would do the 

best they could. 

All those attending the Superevent met up in 

Seoul on Wednesday 24th March, arriving on 

different flights from different parts of the 

world. The first thing most people do on 

arrival in South Korea is rent a mobile phone, 

this country has a unique mobile telephone 

network that is incompatible with any other 

system. 

Our meeting place was the Westin Chosin 

Hotel in the centre of Seoul, the oldest hotel in 

Korea. South Koreans also very much like to 

exchange business cards and therefore on 

checking in at the hotel you are presented with 

business cards that gives your name, the 

telephone number of your hotel room, the 

number of your Korean mobile and the 

number of the fax machine in your room. 

Everybody eventually got together over dinner, 

a party of 9 people. The four sisters of 

Mrs. Oldendorff; Mrs. Dorothea Schostack 

godmother of NORDMARS, Mrs. Insa Thiele 

godmother of NORDVENUS, 

Baroness Margret von Schorlemer godmother 

of NORDMERKUR and Countess 

Bettina von Kerssenbrock godmother 

of NORDNEPTUN; as well as 

Christian and Nikolaus Oldendorff; 

Mr. Peter Rybarczyk and Dr. Kurt Klemme 

from our Hamburg office; and myself 

from our Limassol office. 

Thursday morning was the time for sightseeing 

and to learn about the culture of our host 

country. We travelled to the Royal Palace and 

National Museum of Korea. In the museum we 

learned that Korea does indeed have a very 

long history. We saw that for many years the 

country was divided into different regions and 

the exhibits showed how the people in each 

region developed over time. In the centre of the 

museum was a large model showing how Seoul 

looked one hundred years ago and how it 

looked after the Japanese invaded and

edesigned the city. Right next to the National 

Museum is the Royal Palace. First we watched 

the changing of the guard and followed this 

with a pleasant walk through the grounds in 

the spring sunshine. Another pleasure was to 

talk to the many school children who were also 

visiting the palace and very keen to try out 

their English. 

After such a busy morning sight-seeing we were 

hungry and so headed off to a typical Korean 

restaurant for lunch. In some ways it was just 

like a Cypriot meze - many different dishes to 

try. 

But certainly the 

tastes were very 

different. Some 

dishes that 

looked not so 

attractive to our 

eyes turned out 

to be delicious, 

others tasted a 

little strange to 

our Western 

taste buds. 

From the 

restaurant it was 

straight to the 

airport for a 

flight down to Ulsan. Driving from the airport 

to our hotel we could immediately see that 

Ulsan is a city almost dedicated to Hyundai. 

Not only the world's largest shipyard where 

our ships were built but also a massive car 

plant. The big department store in the city is 

operated by Hyundai as is the hotel we were 

booked to stay in. 

There was just time to shower and change 

before we headed off for the Pre-naming 

dinner which by tradition is hosted by the 

shipowner. This was a chance for us to meet 

the management of Hyundai, our site team, 

class surveyors and last but not least 

resplendent in their uniforms the senior officers 

of NORDVENUS and NORDMARS. 

Some of the crew of NORDVENUS 

The next morning was beautiful, a perfect day 

for naming ships. We eagerly jumped on the 

bus outside the hotel expecting maybe a 10 

minute drive to the offices at Hyundai. 30 

seconds later we arrived - the offices were just 

on the opposite side of the street! 

Firstly a film about Hyundai, the signing of the 

visitors book and then a look at an exhibition 

about shipbuilding at Hyundai. Then back 

onto the bus for a tour of the yard, remember 

the world's largest shipyard! They build around 

60 ships a year - so they are delivering more 

than 1 ship per 

week. All 

different 

shapes and 

sizes - the 

biggest and 

most expensive 

a huge FSPO, 

also military 

submarines 

and of course 

every type of 

merchant 

vessel. As 

you drive 

around the 

yard there are 

bits of ships 

everywhere - a 

bow section constructed upside down, a tank 

section lying on its side, a whole 

accommodation block including funnels - all 

waiting to be lifted into position. 

Then it was to the Hyundai Guest House. A 

building set on top of a hill right in the middle 

of the shipyard. The building itself was 

encircled by the most beautiful gardens, but 

always in the background you can see the huge 

cranes adjacent to the various building docks. 

The reason for coming to the guest house was 

to complete the paperwork for the delivery of 

H1511 (the ship does at this stage still not 

officially have a name yet). I had the pleasure of 

signing on behalf of ‘NORD’ and so at that 

moment the ship officially became our 


property. After of course Hyundai carefully 

checked that the money was safely in their 

bank account!! 

Now after all the introductory events it was 

time for the real business of naming ships. So 

we left the Guest House in a huge cavalcade of 

buses and limousines (of course all the cars 

were made by Hyundai) with a police 

motorcycle at the head. We arrived at Quay 7/8 

where the first 2 ships were waiting for us. 

The naming of a ship 'requires' a large number 

of people. Those of us from ‘NORD’ including 

Mrs. Oldendorff's sisters, our guests, the crew 

of the ships, our site team, representatives of 

Hyundai, the Hyundai band and 

photographers / cameramen to record the 

event - more than 100 people. Of course, 

before any naming takes place the band must 

play and there are speeches to be made. 

Then it was time for the first sister 

to step forward to do her duty. 

Mrs. Dorothea Schostack came to the rostrum 

and clearly read her words. Next using the 

silver axe especially designed for the purpose 

she hit the 'switch' to set off fireworks and 

streamers. The band played. NORDMARS 

had been named. One down and three to go. 

Then it was the turn of Mrs. Insa Thiele. Her 

speech was read perfectly. Another display of 

fireworks. Now the NORDVENUS had been 

named. 

There was one final job to do, breaking the 

champagne bottles on each ship. Perhaps the 

ladies had been training for this job, because 

the bottles were dispatched smartly and 

smashed on impact. 

Now the whole ship naming set up had to be 

transferred to Quay 2. But the Hyundai 

organisation was excellent and as we stepped 

from our cars alongside ship No.3 

the band was already playing. 

Baroness Margret von Schorlemer eloquently 

spoke her words, used the silver axe and swung 

6 NORD NEWS Summer 2004 

the champagne bottle. NORDMERKUR now 

had a name. 

On the move again, this time to Quay 14. 

Now it was the turn of Countess 

Bettina von Kerssenbrock who beautifully read 

her speech and carried out her practical tasks. 

NORDNEPTUN was now christened. As a 

nice final touch she presented the ship with a 

statue of King Neptune that she had purchased 

in Germany and carried to Korea. 

At this stage in the proceedings we had only 

seen the outside hulls of the ships. We could 

not leave without having a look around the 

NORDVENUS which was due to set sail later 

in the day. So back into our cars and buses for 

the return journey to Quay 7. 

All guests were given a guided tour of the ship 

culminating in the official opening of the 

bridge. A ribbon is stretched from one side of 

the bridge to the other and at the right 

moment each guest cuts the ribbon 

simultaneously with a pair of scissors. Each 

guest then sounds the ship’s whistle. 

Well, after all that activity we needed a drink 

and something to eat so we headed back to the 

Guest House for a lovely Korean style lunch. 

At the end of the lunch words of thanks were 

spoken and gifts exchanged. 

Now there were a couple of hours spare before 

our flight back to Seoul. Hyundai did not want 

us to get bored so they arranged a tour around 

their car factory on the way to the airport. 

Some non-ship facts and figures to round off 

this story. The car plant is 40km long. 

Production is 5,700 cars per day! The car parks 

next to the quays can hold 16,000 cars or 

about 3 days production. 32,000 workers are 

employed in the plant. Hyundai provide lunch 

for every worker and in doing so consume 8 

tonnes of rice per day. Quite some place. 

What a busy and exciting day. We all slept very 

well that night back in Seoul.

'NORD' had the pleasure of hosting a pre-naming dinner at the Hyundai Hotel Ulsan 

ballroom on the 25th of March 2004 where Mr. Nikolaus Oldendorff spoke on behalf of 

his mother Mrs. Christiane Oldendorff and then on the next day, at the naming ceremony 

itself, Mr. Christian Oldendorff represented his mother. Mr. Nikolaus Oldendorff, during 

his speech referred to his mother's regret in her inability to be present in person due to her 

injury and to have hosted the dinner herself, though, he stated that her thoughts were with 

all present. Mr. Christian Oldendorff's speech is given below, which is very similar to the 

one given by Mr. Nikolaus Oldendorff. 

Mr. Christian Oldendorff 

My name is Christian Oldendorff and I would 

like to express some words, which were written 

by my mother. 

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen, dear 

Godmothers, 

Unfortunately I am not with you when 

my four sisters will christen today four ships 

built by your Yard HHI. But since three weeks 

I am struggling with a slipped disc and health 

is sometimes even more important 

than the own company. As the head of 

Reederei ‘NORD’ Klaus E. Oldendorff I will 

be needed for a long time to go and therefore I 

am represented today in Korea by my sons 

Christian and Nikolaus. 

The first four contracts have been 

signed still by my late husband 

Mr. Klaus E. Oldendorff. If the conditions do 

allow I am prepared to further contracts! I like 

to thank HHI for the good cooperation and I 

hope that you will have today splendid weather 

for this exceptional "Superevent". I think even 

for a well-known Shipyard like HHI it will be 

Mr. Nikolaus Oldendorff speaking to 

crew members of the NORDVENUS 

the first time that four ships will be christened 

by four sisters namely the TILEMANN-Sisters. 

In thoughts I am with you and I am expecting 

most positive reports about this 26th March 

2004. 

Christiane E. Oldendorff 

The menu card of the lunch hosted by HHI 


8 

THE FOUR GODMOTHERS AND 

THEIR SPEECHES 

Mrs. Dorothea Schostack, 

Godmother - NORDMARS 

with Mr. Peter Rybarczyk on her left 

Ladies and gentlemen, 

These four ships came into being 

thanks to the farsightedness and the forceful 

mind of our dear brother-in-law 

Klaus Oldendorff. He took the decisions 

about the construction and the shipyard and 

we are here today to fulfill his will. 

Mars is the planet, which is most 

nearest to us, just these days we see it in our 

country very clearly. 

I wish always a safe journey for this 

ship and I am certain that it will be a jewel 

in the ‘NORD’ fleet and that it will shine as 

bright as the planet. 

May this ship bring happiness and 

success to my lovely sister Christiane Oldendorff, 

may be it a home and friend to the captain 

and his crew. 

God bless her and all who sail in her. 

I name this ship NORDMARS. 


Dear Guests! 

By choosing the date for this "Superevent", 

4 Sisters are christening 4 ships on the same day 

with names of planets. For sure it was not known, 

that there is another super situation. 

You can see several planets - including 

Mars, Venus and Mercury - by your own eyes - 

without telescopes! There are few cycles with this 

chance - one is now in these days. 

Venus is the brightest object in the sky, 

besides the sun and moon. 

Venus is called the morning star, when it 

appears at sunrise in the East, and Venus is called 

the evening star, when it appears at sunset in the 

West. Venus is also the Goddess of Love. 

Love to the sea, Love to the details, Love to 

the family, that always inspired my brother-in-law, 

Klaus Oldendorff in his life. 

Love in details, Love to the family, we 

gratefully feel this, in this Superevent, which was 

organized by you and my sister Christiane, now the 

chairman. 

May this ship be always the brightest spot 

on the Oceans. 

May this High Technology ship sail from 

East to West, from North to South, with a lot of 

prosperity and efficiency. 

May this ship be loved always by her crew, 

in the time they are sailing through the wild rough 

seas. With these thoughts, I name you 

NORDVENUS and wish you and your crew 

always happy sailing, and enough water under the 

keel. 

God bless you. 

Mrs. Insa Thiele 

Godmother - NORDVENUS

Baroness Margret von Schorlemer 

Godmother - NORDMERKUR 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

When I thought in the past of Korea and 

building ships there, I always had the picture of 

my brother-in-law, my sister and their two sons 

in mind when naming NORDMAX and 

NORDMORITZ in 1995 at another shipyard in 

this country. I never dreamed that I would be 

here one day and naming a ship myself. 

I am most grateful to my late brother- inlaw, 

Mr. Klaus Oldendorff and my sister 

Mrs. Christiane Oldendorff to invite me and give 

me the pleasure to be here in your wonderful 

country and to name together with my three 

sisters these four ships. 

This ship which I shall have the honour 

to name, shall carry the name Merkur in 

reference to the planet Merkur. This is the 

smallest and the next to the sun. But although we 

admire the high technology of space travel and 

take a lot of advantage from it, as we see in the 

high technology of this ship, we and you the 

seafarers still love the romance of the sea travel. 

This ship will be from now on for many 

men a working place and a home. Under which 

better and more promising name and under 

which better patronage a ship could sail if not 

under the good name of the god of trade; 

Merkur! 

I wish the ship that you shall be a good 

and interesting home and working place for your 

seafarers and that you shall always have 

prosperous and safe charters. 

I name this ship NORDMERKUR. May 

God bless and protect her and all who sail in her. 

I wish you and your crew always happy sailing 

and enough water under the keel. 

Countess Bettina von Kerssenbrock 

Godmother - NORDNEPTUN 

Ladies and Gentlemen, 

Once, there was a time, where the 

kingdom of the sea was ruled by Neptune, the 

God of the Sea and Navigation. His home was 

in a golden palace in the Mediterranean Sea. 

He was surrounded by wonderful Nymphs. In 

his hand he held a Trident, sometimes he was 

riding a Dolphin. He could cause Storms and 

haste the sea into Fury, but to his fellows, he 

always sent Favoring Winds. 

Although in modern times, Saint 

Nicholas often has taken the place of being the 

Patron of the Sailors, seafaring people always 

regard themselves as the real descendants of 

Neptune. And that, Ladies and Gentlemen, is 

a good and valid reason to let this vessel carry 

this very name of Neptune over the Oceans! 

May ... she always sail in Calm waters 

May ... her crew stay healthy and in full 

number 

May ... her storages always be full and 

May ... she at least have always enough water 

under her keel! 

Within this ceremony, I have the honour to 

name you, Shipbuilding No. 1514 of this 

world-known Shipyard Hyundai Heavy 

Industry, and your name shall be from now on 

NORDNEPTUN. 

Thank You! 


9

10 

I 

n February 2004 Mrs. Christiane E. Oldendorff, our 

Chairman & Managing Director, took the opportunity of the 

favourable market conditions to sign with STX shipyard of South 

Korea, a contract to build 2 + 2 optional, 3500 teu gearless container 

vessels for delivery in the middle of 2007. 

At the initial signing stage, she signed for 2 vessels to be 

built. The signing ceremony was carried out on the 28th of 

February 2004 at Villa ‘NORD' here in Limassol Cyprus. 

When Mrs. Oldendorff visited the HHI yard in Ulsan on 

the 6th of May, to take delivery of NORDMERKUR, the last of 

our four 'Planets' Panamax product carriers, she took the 

opportunity to travel across to the STX yard and sign for the 2 

optional vessels which now will be delivered in the first half of 

2008. 

STX has fast grown to be a reputable yard and now stands 

at number 6 among the ship building yards in the world. They 

build a variety of vessels from Containers, Bulk Carriers, Tankers 

(products and crude) and pure Car Carriers as well. We are 

looking forward to these new buildings, which no doubt will be 

of a very good quality. 


Principle Dimensions 

Length Overall - 

Length between perpendiculars - 

Breadth, moulded - 

Depth, moulded - 

Design draft, moulded - 

Scantling draft, moulded - 

Deadweight at design draft - 

HFO capacity - 

MDO capacity - 

Freshwater capacity - 

Ballast water capacity - 

Container capacity - 

On deck (based on 6 tiers) 

In hold (based on 7 tiers) 

Reefer containers - 

Main engine - 

MCR - 

NCR (90% MCR) - 

Speed - 

Consumption - 

Range - 

Complement -

246.80 meters 

232.30 meters 

32.20 meters 

19.30 meters 

10.75 meters 

12.30 meters 

34,985 metric tonnes 


200 metric tonnes 

300 metric tonnes 


2,120 Teu 

1,380 Teu 

500 Feu 

9K80MC-C MAN B&W 

44,100 BHP @ 104 RPM 

39,690 BHP 

23.40 knots 

118.60 MT/day @ 90% MCR 

16,400 nautical miles 

26 crew + 6 Suez crew 

Mrs. Christiane E. Oldendorff, Chairman and Managing Director with 

Mr. Peter Rybarczyk, Managing Director of our Hamburg Office, on her 

right and Mr. S.K.Kim, President and COO of STX on her left, 

at the signing ceremony 


11

12 

CHIEF ENGINEERS OF LONG 

SERVICE 

CHIEF ENGINEER 

DARKO TADEJ - 

23 YEARS WITH ‘NORD’ 

Chief Engineer Darko Tadej is one of the longest 

serving employees of Reederei ‘NORD’. He was 

born in Zlobin on 24th May 1955. 

Zlobin is a small mountain village 25 

kilometers north of Rijeka, Croatia. He spent 

most of his childhood in Zlobin with his parents, 

a place which is also his permanent residence 

during his vacation periods with his family, wife 

Branka and two children son Ivo and daughter 

Anna. However, he also enjoys the summer 

period in Klimno, a small coastal village on the 

nearby island of Krk where he has his boats and 

other sea gear so that he is always close to the sea. 

He attended the Maritime College, 

Engineering department at Pomorski Fakultet in 

Rijecka. In addition, he obtained all his licences 

in Rijecka. He worked with a Croatian company 

for some years up until the rank of 2nd Engineer. 

He also worked for a tugboat company as 

engineer with reciprocating steam engines 

during his vacation period while he was 

studying. He served in the Yugoslav navy for one 

year and followed it up with a few contracts with 

foreign companies. 

Mr. Tadej joined Reederei ‘NORD’ in 

1981. He worked as 2nd Engineer until 1983 

and ever since, he has been employed working as 

Chief Engineer. 

During this period and since 1989 he has 

been involved in the company's extensive newbuilding 

programs in the capacity of Supervising 


Engineer, and has spent some time at the 

shipyards in Gdynia and Szczecin in Poland, 

Wismar and Warnemunde in Germany and 

Samho Mokpo, in South Korea. 

During all this time working with 

Reederei ‘NORD’, C/E Tadej, comments that he 

has met a great number of people and made 

good friends with many of them and quite a few 

of their families, rather than the other way 

around. Finally, during his long sea going 

experience with ‘NORD’, he spent a lot of time 

with another long serving employee, Captain 

Grant. In fact, C/E Tadej humorously comments 

that there was a period of time when he spent 

more time with him rather than with his own 

wife! C/E Tadej is currently sailing on board the 

vessel NORDMED, and we would like to wish 

him happy sailing and all the best for the future. 


ZBIEGNEW MUCEK - 

22 YEARS WITH ‘NORD’ 

Mr. Z. Mucek was born in Grojec, Poland on 

August 31st, 1941. 

After completing his education, Mr. 

Mucek spent several years obtaining practical job 

experience in various Polish shipyards. 

His sea career began in 1964 with the 

Polish National Company P.L.O. where he

emained until 1980, before continuing for a 

further two years sailing on Greek owned vessels. 

Mr. Mucek, who has been certified as a Marine 

Engineer 1st Class since 1976, joined Reederei 

‘NORD’ in 1982, sailing first on the vessel 

NORDHEIDE, followed by several other 

‘NORD’ vessels. This was the start of a long 

career with the company. 

On a personal note, Mr. Mucek lives in 

Gdansk with his wife, Maria. They have two 

sons, Pawel and Radoslaw. Pawel is of course well 

known to us, as he too is serving as Chief 

Engineer with ‘NORD’. On one occasion father 

and son sailed together for a few months when 

Pawel was obtaining his practical experience. In 

1998 they almost met on board the vessel 

NORDWOGE, but missed each other by a few 

days. 

He is an idol to both his sons as a great 

father, and to many of our seafarers who call him 

“PAPA”, and are trying to follow his footsteps, as 

a remarkable seaman. He is one of the most well 

known persons in our company and has even 

sailed with a few of the people in our office, in 

Limassol. You could say his face is well known to 

all our superintendents! In his personal life, the 

most important things for Mr. Mucek, apart 

from his dogs and his home!, are his family, 

which includes two granddaughters Ania and 

Marta, and of course his work, in which he 

always gives 100% of his time and effort. 

Mr. Mucek is currently enjoying a well 

earned vacation after sailing on board the 

NORDHAWK! 

An accountant who was having a hard time 

falling a sleep goes to see his doctor. 

Accountant : "Doctor, I just can't get to sleep 

at night" 

Doctor : "Have you tried counting sheep?" 

Accountant : "That's the problem - I make a 

mistake and then spend three hours trying to 

find it!!!" 

VISITORS TO THE 

OFFICE................... 

MR. ROMAN KALANDYK 


C/E Mr. Roman Kalandyk was in the Limassol 

office for a period of 2 weeks during the month of 

April, assisting the technical department with 

updating and setting up the PMS systems for the 

vessels. 

He was on his way home from the yard 

in South Korea after participating successfully 

in the outfitting of our four new "Planets"; the 

new Panamax product tankers delivered this 

year. This was not his first stint at a shipyard, as 

he was fully involved last year in the newbuilding 

project carried out at AKER MTW 

yard in Wismar, where we built our CS 2500 

container vessels. 

Mr. Kalandyk, joined 'NORD' as 2nd 

Engineer, in 1992 on the multi-con container 

vessel, the NORDSTAR and was promoted to 

Chief engineer on the multi-con container 

vessel, the NORDSUND in December 1992. 

He has since sailed as Chief Engineer, mainly 

on our container vessels. 

He is now serving back on board the fleet, 

on the CALA PALOS (NORDATLANTIC), a 

vessel that he supervised in its building stage, 

after taking a well earned vacation with his 

wonderful wife Wanda and son. 


14 

A ZIP FROM THE SPRING OF LIFE 

A RECOLLECTION OF THE SUPEREVENT 

BY COUNTESS BETTINA VON KERSSENBROCK 

On March 

23rd 2004, 

we are on 

our way to 

an unforgetable 

journey: 

we are 

heading for 

the Christening Ceremony of a total of four vessels 

in Korea, and in the course of that journey we are 

planning to visit as much as four cities in two 

countries in eight days. A short time span for 

such plans, but we figured, that if we refrained 

from sleeping long, we should have the utmost 

fun! 

One of the sponsors of the christening travels 

from a country as remote as Guatemala, 

another from Austria, Mr. Holloway comes 

from Cyprus and further 6 people are traveling 

from Hamburg. Our main goal is Korea and 

there, the worldwide well-known shipyard in 

Ulsan. That is the place where the vessels lie, 

which we are supposed to christen. We are 

excited to see the four Panamax Bulk Carriers 

of 75,000 tons each and it is we, four sisters of 

Mrs. Oldendorff, who will do the Christening. 

However, before we arrive at our goal, on the 

coast of Korea, we are heartily welcomed by 

most friendly representatives of the HHI- 

Shipyard at the Airport of Seoul. Kindly and 

courteously they are piloting us through hotels 

and airports until we eventually arrive in Ulsan 

the next day. Before that, they introduce us to 

their Capital, Seoul. In the National Museum, 

we learn a lot about Korean History and we 

watch the colorful change of guards in front of 

the Old Royal Palace. Multicolored Flags 

fluttering in a strong wind over the soldiers 

characterize the scenario on a hill backed by a 

massive mountainous landscape. The guards 

are armed with bows and arrows and swords 

and are wearing frightening beards, which 

obviously - at least in Korea's day to day life - 

are no longer fashionable. 


With this scenario and the up to then 

unknown remarkable history of Korea in 

mind, we eventually arrive in Ulsan for the 

Christening Ceremony. Again, we are 

surrounded by Korean Hospitality: For the 

tour over the shipyard with its 16 docks, a 

limousine service supported by quite a number 

of attractive young Korean tour guides was 

organized by HHI. Now, we approach the 

vessels with their white superstructures, gray 

coating and their funnels painted with the 

well-known emblem of Reederei ‘NORD’. 

They look absolutely perfect and certainly will 

be sea-worthy trading vessels. 

The only thing they now require, is to be given 

a good name, and for this purpose, HHI has 

taken all imaginable preparatory steps and 

measures: for every single vessel there is a 

speakers-platform, a grand stand for guests and 

spectators, a music band and numerous photojournalists. 

From each of the vessels, along side 

there are endless flags, Korean Lanterns and 

nets full of air balloons. When at the end of 

each christening speech the name of each vessel 

is released with the slam of a hammer made of 

silver, a fireworks display is lit at the bow of 

each vessel, the band plays music and colorful 

long paper-streamers are dropped from the 

Korean lanterns! The nets are opened and 

release multicolored balloons. Following old 

European Tradition, the Christening is 

executed by smashing a bottle of champagne 

against the body of the vessel. This applies to 

each of the four vessels: NORDMARS, 

NORDVENUS, NORDMERKUR and 

NORDNEPTUN. For everybody watching 

this ceremony is absolute and almost endless 

fun! 

This, however, was not the end of surprises. 

When NORDVENUS, the vessel which was 

supposed to leave the shipyard on the very 

same afternoon, was inspected, we did not 

enter the vessel over a gangway as expected, 

instead all guests were carefully heaved onto

the vessel in a gondola by a crane. On board, 

the ceremony of cutting bands took place in 

order to open the bridge. During a guided tour 

over the vessel we are shown very distinct, 

comfortable and cozy crew cabins, large 

lounges and at last the huge bright two-story 

engine-room. As all the entire inside of the 

vessel, it is white painted with green floors, and 

in the middle: the golden painted massive 

engine! Everything - at least at this time - is 

silent, tidy and computer-controlled. 

Certainly, this is a perfect working place, good 

to know for the crew 

and sponsors. 

We, the Sponsors 

wish.........., 

That all four Vessels 

always sail in Calm 

Waters........., 

That their Crews stay 

healthy and in full 

Number........., 

That their Storages 

always be full....., and 

That each of them 

always has enough 

water under its Keel! 

Once in Asia, we 

have continued traveling with lots of plans 

ahead. Particularly, we wanted to see Shanghai 

and Beijing. In Shanghai, we experienced the 

flavour of absolute modern times. Skyscrapers, 

hundreds of them in each direction. 

Everything is new: The Airport, the Subway, 

Bridges and the 430 km/h fast, Transrapid- 

Train. Everywhere busy people, busy people 

and people everywhere ....! The well known 

(and expected) bicycles, however, are banned 

from the city district! 

In the evening, we enjoyed a boat ride on the 

Huangpu River, which runs through Shanghai 

and belongs to the larger Yangtse-delta. Again, 

we are fascinated by the Pudong river shore, 

which through its skyscraper-scenario reminds 

everybody immediately of science fiction. At 

the same time, we had the romantic old 

buildings on Bund-Promenade in our 

background and we were in midst of busy 

harbour traffic with the Shipyards right in the 

Center of the City. 

In China the world is changing, this is obvious 

to everybody, even though he may not speak, 

read or understand Chinese language or signs. 

The change, though, is not all over the place, 

also that was obvious. We still and mostly 

found the old, pre-Revolutionary world in the 

old classic Chinese gardens. They represent places 

of Spiritualism, 

designed in respect of 

the principles of 

Harmony, Balance, 

Variety and 

Proportion. There 

is hardly anything 

green to be seen, 

but instead, there 

are pavilions, 

zigzags, bridges, 

waters and rocks. 

We have seen such 

kind of gardens 

nearby Shanghai 

in Suzhou and 

with particular 

excitement in 

Beijing's Summer Palace. The Great Wall? 

Sure, we were there as well! It is located in the 

mountains and even with sunshine, it is cold 

and windy there. 

A good advice to the future tourist: make sure 

you have a warm jacket and climbing-boots. 

The Wall's pavement is steep and slippery. A 

visit really pays! It shows what mankind could 

effect even thousands of years ago. 

The trip has yielded an almost unlimited 

number of impressive experiences: The vessels, 

the Christening, the people in both of the 

foreign countries, the living cultural heritage in 

music, dishes, on markets and in museums and 

.... and .... and.... We are privileged, proud and 

thankful to have made them, because such a 

Journey is a Zip from the Spring of Life! 


15

16 

Galileo Satellite System 

Galileo, the European answer to Global 

Position System - "GPS" (American) and 

Global Navigational Satellite System - 

GLONASS (Russian), has been given approval to 

commence the build up of its infrastructure. 

After months of negotiations The 

European commission said last week, that it is 

willing to change its transmitting frequency as 

requested by the operators of the other 2 

systems. This was seen as a key decision in 

negotiations between the EU and the US. Under 

the agreement the Europeans agreed to shift their 

Binary Offset Carrier, from B.O.C 1.5 to B.O.C 

1.1, which means that the agreed frequency 

would be slightly inferior to the one originally 

requested by the Europeans. However, with 

today's available technology, this can be easily 

over come and the signal will still be as good. 

This will now be considered the world 

standard in radio transmission, according to the 

EU transport minister Ms. Loyola de Palacio. 

The Europeans have also stated that they reserve 

the right to upgrade the signal if they see fit at a 

future date. 

The future GPS system operated by the 

Pentagon, of the United States of America, and 

the Galileo system, will use the B.O.C. 1.1 as 

their base line. This means that in about 15 years 

from now, any vessel will be able to access both 

systems. This is good news indeed for the marine 

and aviation industries. 

The Galileo system will use a number of 

other countries in getting off the ground with 

China leading the way with a USD 200 million 

investment and Brazil, Russia and India 

following soon. Galileo will commence 

operations sometime in 2008. The deployment 

phase between 2006 and 2007 will see around 

30 satellites launched, with the supporting 

ground stations being established. 

The European Commission and the 

European Space Agency are joint partners in the 

project. The system will also have military 


capabilities and be able to generate commercial 

revenue as well. 

It is the industry's collective belief that 

this system will no doubt improve standards all 

round and make navigation safer for both the 

Marine as well as the Aviation sectors. 

Calculations In Life 

IF: 

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T 

U V W X Y Z 

Equals 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 

19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 

Then, 

H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K= 

8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98% only 

K+N+O+W+L+E+D+G+E = 

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96% only 

L+U+C+K = 12+21+3+11= 47% (don't most 

of us think this is most important??) 

Then what makes 100% 

Is it 

Money?...........Leadership?...........Health?......... 

NO!!!!! 

Every problem has a solution, only if we 

perhaps change our attitude. 

To get to the top, to that 100% what we really 

need to go further... a Bit more.... 

A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E = 

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100 % 

So it is OUR Attitude towards Life and Work 

that makes OUR Life 100%

Training - Does it work? 

Reflecting back on my long and illustrious 

career, I recognize that training has played 

an important role in my understanding of a 

large number of subjects for which I consider myself 

familiar. Outside of the structured training 

regime is "experience" which by itself is probably 

the most influential training system we have. 

However, we are not able to experience 

everything we need to know when going about 

our business. Therefore in order to both learn 

and improve our understanding in performing 

our functions as professional seafarers we require 

the input of training to supplement our 

knowledge and awareness and one hopes it will 

create a safer working culture and environment. 

I have been a mariner for some 27 years 

and have learned to recognize what constitutes 

both a good teacher and a good student; the 

droning voice of a softly spoken lecturer in a hot 

classroom has always been a cure for even the 

most ardent insomniac. Conversely the ever 

changing pitch of an instructor who "appears" to 

love both his job and his subject matter can 

capture the attention of his students. 

I have recently learned some new tools 

and skills for which to attempt to "get the 

message" across. The only way to monitor the 

effectiveness of one’s teaching ability however is 

to gauge the student by way of feedback, 

whether it be assessment of physical performance 

or mental aptitude testing (exams/assessments). 

There is little doubt that 'up front', my 

job as Fleet Training Master (FTM) is well 

received on board. Training is often conceived as 

an inconvenience but if applied and delivered 

with some dedication and conviction, I believe 

effective results can be achieved. 

With the prime directive of the FTM 

being "Safety of Life at Sea", the best way to 

gauge the results of training would be in the 

demographics of incidents and accidents. Are we 

as FTM "getting the message across?" or are we 

just consuming the time of a seafarer who 

otherwise believes that he is immune from 

incident or injury. 

I have seen with the use of CBT' s that 

you can quickly gauge the effectiveness of the 

training but also and just as important you can 

gauge the intelligence level of the student. From 

this I have been able to re-structure the module 

to suit the lower levels of intelligence and 

similarly, streamline it for the brighter groups. 

Regardless, it is very clear to me that you can 

take the horse to the water but you can't make it 

drink. (Very frustrating at times!!). 

I believe strongly that there is a place in 

our industry for sound and well-delivered 

training programs. As I have only been doing 

this job for a relatively short period, the 

effectiveness of my own personal skills at this job 

however remain to be seen. I hope these 

thoughts are of some use to you. 

Peter Montgomery 

APPOINTMENT....................... 

Capt. Peter Montgomery was appointed 

Fleet Training Master, in March 2004 

Capt. Peter Montgomery joined Reederei ‘NORD’ 

in March 1999 as a Chief Officer on 

NORDGULF. 

He was promoted as Master on the 

NORDLIGHT, in October 2000. He has since 

served as master on the NORDSTRENGTH, 

NORDMARK, NORDMILLENNIUM and 

NORDENERGY. Capt. Montgomery took up 

the position of Fleet Training Master, on the 8th 

of March 2004. 

On a personal note, Capt. Montgomery 

lives in Australia and has two daughters, Briana 

(twelve years old) and Claire (nine years old). 

When home on vacation, he enjoys golf, squash, 

fishing, fine Australian wines, gourmet cooking 

and spending time with his daughters. 


18 

Congratulations.......... 

Mrs. Christiane E. Oldendorff 

presenting 

Captain Menon with his Ten Year 

anniversary bowl 

Congratulations to Captain Ramel Menon, 

SMS Manager, on completion of 10 years of 

service with the company on 18th May 2004. 

Captain Ramel Menon started working for 

‘NORD’ as Master on the NORDLUCK in 

1993. He joined the Limassol office in January 

1996 as our first Safety and Management 

Systems Superintendent to assist in the 

development of our Reederei ‘NORD’ Safety 

and Management System (RNSMS). From 

1997 to 1999 he headed the Personnel 

department and in August 2003 he was 

promoted to Manager - Safety and 

Management Systems. 

Captain Menon commenced his sea-going 

career in August 1966 on the T. S. "Dufferin". 

In 1968 he joined Clan Line Steamers, London 

and stayed with them until he obtained his 1st 

Mate’s licence in 1974. In May 1978 he 

obtained his Master's licence in the United 

Kingdom after completing a course of studies at 

the South Tyneside Nautical College. 

Captain Menon took command of his first ship 

in December 1978 and was in command for 16 

years on a variety of ships including container 

vessels, Panamax bulk carriers, Reefer vessels, 

Ro-Ro vessels and Woodchip carriers. Captain 

Menon is married and has two children, a son 

and a daughter (twins). 


Mrs. Christiane E. Oldendorff 

presenting 

Mr. Theoulis with his Ten Year 

anniversary bowl 

Congratulations to Mr. Demetris Theoulis, 

on completion of 10 years of service with the 

company, on 14 April 2004. 

Mr. Demetris Theoulis (known to everyone 

as “Jim”), was born and raised in Cyprus. 

After finishing his army service in 1973 he 

migrated to Australia. He lived there with his 

family and worked maintaining his own 

business until 1993, when he returned to 

Cyprus. 

Mr. Theoulis started working with Reederei 

‘NORD’ in April 1994, as a Messenger and 

he has been with us since then. He is very 

much liked by everyone in the Limassol office 

as he is always good natured. 

We all celebrated his ten-year anniversary 

with a lovely lunch at the “Neon Phaliron” 

restaurant on 14 April 2004, where 

Mrs. Christiane E. Oldendorff presented Jim 

with his Ten Year Anniversary silver bowl. 

Jim is married to Angela and they have three 

sons Akis, Andrew and Christopher. His 

eldest son, Akis, was recently married on the 

day of Jim’s 51st birthday. 

We wish Jim and his family the very best.

The picture shows Mr. Simakin receiving his 

'NORD' watch from Mr. Jonathan Holloway. 

Mr. Simakin joined 'NORD' in April 1998, 

as a deck cadet on the NORDSTRENGTH 

on her maiden voyage out of the shipyard 

where she was built in Mokpo, South Korea. 

He states that it was an interesting and 

valuable experience for him as he was just 

finishing his higher education at the time. 

After graduating from the Novorossiysk 

Maritime Academy in 1999 he was given 

two options either to join one of 'NORD' 

ships as a deck officer or join Limassol office 

as a personnel officer. He chose the latter 

and decided to start a new career and 

completely new life here in Limassol. 

He now looks back fondly on the five years 

that seemed to have passed at almost a blink 

of an eyelid, where there were lots of 

amazing things to remember and the times 

when he was enjoying himself. He also 

states that "it was a turn on my life's road 

that brought me to Reederei 'NORD' more 

than 6 years ago and gave me a chance to 

gain and strive for more and broaden my 

horizons in many ways". 

He is married to his lovely wife Maria, who 

has just joined him in Limassol. He is 

wished all the very best for the future. 

Pictured here is Capt. Staack on the right 

handing over to Mr. De Silva his five year 

anniversary watch. 

Mr. De Silva joined Reederei 

‘NORD’ in 1993 as an AB and has since 

sailed on the NORDCLIFF, NORDBEACH, 

NORDSUN, NORDRIVER and presently 

on the NORDSTRAND. 

This picture was taken when the 

NORDSTRAND called at Hamburg. 

NORD NEWS 

Reederei ‘NORD’ 

Klaus E. Oldendorff Ltd. 

Libra Tower, 23 Olympion Street 

P.O. Box 56345 

3306 Limassol - Cyprus 

Tel: +357 25 841400 

Fax: +357 25 345 077 

Tlx: 5938 RNKEO CY 

E-mail: rnkeo@spidernet.com.cy 

Website: www.rnkeo.com 

NORD NEWS is the Company Magazine of 

Reederei ‘NORD’ 

Klaus E. Oldendorff Ltd. 

While NORD NEWS is primarily directed at our 

seastaff, it is also sent to our close business 

associates. 


19

REEDEREI “NORD” KLAUS E. OLDENDORFF 

PRESENT FLEET AND NEWBUILDINGS ON ORDER 

M.T. “NORDPOWER” 319.000 tdw Tanker 2003 

M.T. “NORDENERGY” 319.000 tdw Tanker 2003 

M.T. “NORDMILLENNIUM” 301.500 tdw Tanker 2000 

M.T. “NORDMARK” 105.000 tdw Tanker 1998 

M.T. “NORDSTRENGTH” 105.000 tdw Tanker 1998 

M.T. “NORDVENUS” 75.000 tdw Product Tanker 2004 

M.T. “NORDMARS” 75.000 tdw Product Tanker 2004 

M.T. “NORDNEPTUN” 75.000 tdw Product Tanker 2004 

M.T. “NORDMERKUR” 75.000 tdw Product Tanker 2004 

M.V. “NORDELBE” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDWESER” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDEMS” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDTRAVE” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDRHINE” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDMOSEL” 75.000 tdw Panamax bulker 2001 

M.V. “NORDMORITZ” 72.500 tdw Panamax bulker 1995 

M.V. “NORDATLANTIC” 33.850 tdw 2478 TEU 2003 

M.V. “NORDPACIFIC” 33.850 tdw 2478 TEU 2003 

M.V. “NORDBALTIC” 33.850 tdw 2478 TEU 2003 

M.V. “NORDMED” 33.850 tdw 2478 TEU 2003 

M.V. “NORDSTRAND” 34.062 tdw 2280 TEU 1993 

M.V. “NORDEAGLE” 27.000 tdw 2105 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDFALCON” 27.000 tdw 2105 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDHAWK” 27.000 tdw 2105 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDSTAR” 22.878 tdw 1730 TEU 1998 

M.V. “NORDSEAS” 22.420 tdw 1684 TEU 1996 

M.V. “NORDCLOUD” 22.420 tdw 1684 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDRIVER” 22.420 tdw 1684 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDCOAST” 22.420 tdw 1684 TEU 1997 

M.V. “NORDLAKE” 22.450 tdw 1524 TEU 1994 

M.V. “NORDPOL” 20.275 tdw 1354 TEU 1994 

M.V. “NORDPARTNER” 20.275 tdw 1354 TEU 1994 

M.V. “NORDSKY” 14.120 tdw 1158 TEU 1990 

M.V. “NORDSUN” 14.120 tdw 1158 TEU 1991 

M.V. “NORDBEACH” 14.120 tdw 1158 TEU 1991 

M.V. “NORDCLIFF” 14.120 tdw 1158 TEU 1991 

*M.V. “NORDLUCK” 10.964 tdw 798 TEU 1984 

NEWBUILDING S1166 34.000 tdw 2600 TEU 11/2005 






* Trading on bareboat charter to Korean charterers

a selection of pictures of the

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?