Rickmers‘ Christmas charity PLAN: supporting a housing project in Vietnam

This year Rickmers is breaking with tradition: rather than giving Christmas presents to clients, the Hamburg-based project liner and heavy lift specialist is donating money to the charity PLAN International in support of a housing project in Vietnam. The 22,267 dwt Leon today served as the scene for the handing over of a cheque for DM10,000 to PLAN's German PR representative, Katja Teske, who is responsible for the Vietnam project. There to hand over the cheque were Rickmers' Mr Uwe Kieper, General Manager Sales, and Mr Andreas Elger, General Manager Marketing.

This donation will allow the building and repair of houses in Bac Giang, a region in north Vietnam. DM500, a paltry sum to most Germans, is enough to renovate or even construct an entire house in Vietnam. PLAN's Vietnam project is helping 1,000 families to improve their living conditions on a dramatic scale. Details of the progress of this project will be available on the Rickmers website at www.rickmers-linie.de as from March 2002.

Since 1865, Rickmers has enjoyed good trade relations with Asia and has been serving Vietnam as part of its liner service since 1995. This year 12 shipments departed from Hamburg, with ten heading direct for Vietnam and two going via transshipment over Singapore. Leon departs 23 December for Haiphong, Vietnam. The cargo includes a shipment of approximately 2,500 freight tonnes on behalf of Danish company F L Smidth, for a cement factory with the project name Tam Diep. Rickmers sees Vietnam's market as very promising with important potential for growth.

A photograph to accompany this release can be downloaded from the Dunelm PR website found at: www.dunelmpr.co.uk. By clicking on the photo gallery icon followed by the Rickmers-Linie logo you will be taken the thumbnail image. By selecting the thumbnail image you will be taken to a larger, downloadable image. The caption for the photograph reads:

Pictured at the handing over of the cheque by Rickmers to PLAN International are (left to right) Maren Spoering and Katja Teske of PLAN International, Andreas Elger, Anrdezj Gomulski, Captain of Leon, and Uwe Kieper.