Page 29: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Q4 2015)

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TRAINING

The Humanity in a Shipyard

Courtesy Meyer Werft

Not everyone could – or would – step up for the coming torrent of refugees. German shipbuilder Meyer Werft is one entity that did.

By William Stoichevski t is United Nations week, and children in Europe are asked Meyer Werft Steps Up to offer a toy and a thoughtful card to traumatized kids arriv- It’s against this backdrop that Meyer Werft announced it

Iing as refugees from Syria, North Africa and Afghanistan. would train refugees with the Catholic youth organization,

The refugees represent what European leaders individually say Johannesburg. An institution in Northwest Germany, Johan- is a human torrent of between 350,000 and 700,000 souls. The nesburg has a century of experience ? nding ways to educate

Continent’s most telling migration since World War II is bring- those battling “socio-psychological” circumstances. ing out the best in some and the worst in others. Offering to “For us it was political,” says Meyer Werft spokesman, Peter train rather than turn away refugees is German shipyard Meyer Hackman, on the training partnership and the need to take a

Werft, builder of the luxury liner, Norwegian Escape. stand amid the feelings stirred by refugee columns. Hate runs

The latest ? gures come out, as the ruin of a temporary lodg- counter to the goodwill that keeps order aboard a 164,000 ton ing for refugee children in southern Sweden smolder follow- luxury liner entertaining 4,200 guests with an international ing an eleventh arson attack on a refugee center — in October staff. As early as winter 2015, the Meyer-Johannesburg train- 2015 alone. Police, reports Norwegian NRK, “are not ruling ing program will begin offering as many as 30 people courses out hate crime.” The attack came as children slept, the latest toward earning certi? cation as a “metal technology specialist” in a year of burning asylum centers in Sweden, where a right- or “construction mechanic” and possible work at the yard. The wing party has surged to within reach of parliamentary power. shipyard’s partnership with Johannesburg — which says it helps

In Germany, anti-immigration protests have grown large up to 600 youth aged six to 21 at any one time — will help refu- and loud, while the tolerant form human shields at asylum gees “prepare themselves” to qualify for a future profession.

centers. Chancellor Angela Merkel is described in press re- “We’re talking about young refugees, some with families ports as “under siege” for agreeing publicly to admit tens of and some the kids on their way through (the Balkans) from thousands of the war weary still landing on Greek shores from Syria or North Africa,” says Hackman. Johannesburg will

Turkey; still pressing through the Balkans and still pleading offer language and integration training, Meyer the specialist for asylum in Europe. The European Union has pledged a bil- training modules. For now — as elsewhere in Europe — get- lion euro for crisis management. ting refugees housed and children in school by winter is the

Image above

People power: Meyer staff marvel at their achievement.

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