A touch of Colombia has arrived at the venerable Laeisz shipping company building in Hamburg. This is because Nikolaus H. Schües is not only the head of the more than 200-year-old shipping company but has also been appointed honorary consul of the South American country.
The Laeisz Shipping Company has maintained close ties with South America since its inception. With the appointment of Nikolaus H. Schües as Honorary Consul of Colombia for the German federal states of Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony, these relations have gained an additional dimension.
During a formal ceremony conducted in strict accordance with diplomatic protocol, Schües was sworn in by the Ambassador of the Republic of Colombia, Yadir Salazar Mejía. At the same time, the Honorary Consulate was officially opened at the Laeisz Shipping Company’s headquarters.
As the Ambassador emphasised in her speech, Schües’s appointment as Honorary Consul was “merely the icing on the cake”, as he had already been committed to her country previously, for example through delegation visits. “I am convinced that, with Niko Schües as Honorary Consul, we can further deepen the exchange and cooperation between our countries from Hamburg for our mutual benefit – not only in the maritime sector, but also in the areas of port security, science, tourism and culture,” said Yadir Salazar Mejía.
In his speech, Schües referred to the shipping company’s decades-long ties with South America. Even under the company’s founder, Ferdinand Laeisz, sailing ships were used to transport saltpetre from Chile to Germany. Furthermore, Ferdinand Laeisz himself was an honorary consul for Peru.
The Laeisz shipping company has had ties with Colombia for around 65 years. Through its subsidiary AFC, the company imports bananas from the South American country under the “Onkel Tuca” brand. This now amounts to around six million crates per year, said Schües.
The company is also involved in social initiatives in the banana-growing region. There, the Laeisz shipping company has built three schools, which educate around 2,500 pupils. Furthermore, the children are looked after after school.
Schües accepted his appointment as Honorary Consul with gratitude. “I am grateful for this and feel very honoured to be able to serve this wonderful country,” said the newly appointed Honorary Consul.
