Project ‘Port Scouts’ by HHLA Enjoys Great Popularity

The tours offered by Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA) for elementary school students through the port have also enjoyed great popularity under the conditions of the Corona pandemic. Last year, 36 school classes explored the Port Museum and the HHLA Container Terminal Altenwerder (CTA) while adhering to hygiene measures.

(Hamburg) Since the project’s launch in 2015, a total of 6,500 elementary school students have taken the opportunity to learn about the history of the port and its operational processes. As part of its sustainability strategy, HHLA will actively support the project again this year in collaboration with the Port Museum Hamburg and the State Institute for Teacher Education and School Development.

Many students are only vaguely aware of the port’s significance for the functioning of the economy. Therefore, Hamburger Hafen und Logistik AG (HHLA), the Port Museum, and the State Institute for Teacher Education and School Development initiated the Port Scouts project six years ago to bring the port closer to Hamburg’s elementary school students. During one-day excursions, students gain insights behind the scenes of Germany’s largest seaport. They learn about the historical development of the port and how daily work routines have changed. Playful knowledge tests and exciting stories told by trained guides make the trip an experience.

Exploration Begins at the Port Museum

The young researchers begin their exploration at the Port Museum at Shed 50. Here, they learn interesting facts about the Hamburg port. How has work changed over time? Why are container ships getting larger? How many pairs of sneakers fit in a container? These and many other questions are part of the learning journey. The highlight of the tour is a look inside a container modified by HHLA. This illustrates the variety and quantities of goods transported in standardized boxes around the globe. Students experience inside the box that they deal daily with products brought to Germany by container.

Afterwards, the tour takes the Port Scouts to the highly automated Container Terminal Altenwerder. After the classes have learned in the museum about the stations a container goes through at a terminal, they experience firsthand at the CTA what large-scale container handling means today. Millions of containers filled with many everyday items are handled annually at HHLA’s container terminals. The port is the economic heart, Germany’s largest goods hub, and the most significant employer in the region.

This Year Particularly Important

This year, the tours will take place as planned after the summer holidays. Although under stricter hygiene regulations and somewhat unfamiliar, around 500 young researchers will soon be able to call themselves trained Port Scouts.

Hans-Jörg Heims, Head of Corporate Communications at HHLA, explains the company’s commitment: “It is particularly important to us this year that the Port Scouts take place. After weeks of school closures and isolation, students should experience a highlight in their school year. We will conduct the project under strict hygiene measures and adherence to safety distances. The children will be divided into small groups and wear mouth and nose protection. The program will mainly take place outdoors with sufficient safety distance. We are very pleased to continue supporting this project. The enthusiasm with which the children typically return home is the greatest reward for our efforts.”

Contents of the Excursion are Part of the Curriculum

Martin Kelpe, trainer at the Hamburg State Institute for Teacher Education and School Development, emphasizes: “The State Institute for Teacher Education and School Development supports this project with great commitment. The Port Scouts project is very close to our hearts, as the topic of learning on-site is of great importance to us. The Port Scouts project offers children an insight into the historical and current processes in the Hamburg port. Especially at this time, we are pleased that such projects are possible. The first excursion after many months has been particularly beneficial for the students.”

The Port Scouts project is aimed at Hamburg elementary school classes. The contents of the excursion are part of the curriculum for the participating classes. They are intensively prepared for and followed up in class. Teachers who register their classes for the day tours complete an introductory course in advance. During the museum visit, students are accompanied by specially qualified educators. Experienced and trained guides explain the processes at the terminal.

Photo: © HHLA