Förderkreis Seefahrtschule Leer e.V.

The Förderkreis Seefahrtschule Leer e.V. was founded in 1976 as a non-profit association in order to support the education at the Seefahrtschule Leer (then the Fachschule Seefahrt and the Fachbereich Seefahrt of the Fachhochschule Ostfriesland) both ideally and materially. The statutes of the association are available here.

For this purpose, the training ship Ems was purchased at the time, with which the prospective ship's officers and captains undertook various training voyages in the North and Baltic Seas. The ship was sold in 1998. It was replaced by the former buoy tender Norden, which was put into service as the Aurora and offered space for 16 people. It was financed by membership fees from the Förderkreis, the university's budget and donations from businesses in the Leer area. In 2009, the ship had to be sold as the Förderkreis could no longer afford the annual maintenance costs of around €60,000.

Training ship Ems

From the very beginning, the Sponsorship Association has supported the entire Department of Maritime Studies and Maritime Sciences (university degree courses and technical college courses) at Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences in many aspects quickly and unbureaucratically. These include support for the Ossiloop team, excursions, training trips on chartered ships and campus life. It also includes the traditional honoring of the best students on each course and the organization of graduation ceremonies.

Georg Haase has been Chairman of the Board of Directors since June 2024. Other members of the Board of Directors are Matthias Mattausch (2nd Chairman), Edda Kampen (Treasurer) and Clemens Plawenn-Salvini (Secretary).

Board of the Sponsoring Association

The Förderkreis is naturally pleased to welcome new members who, through their membership, support the activities of the Förderkreis Seefahrtschule Leer e.V. and thus the entire Department of Seafaring and Maritime Sciences at Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences. Both companies and natural persons can become members of the Sponsors' Association. The minimum annual contribution is €12 for individuals and €60 for companies. To join or to change the account details of existing members, please complete the following form. Please send the completed form by e-mail to Ms. Edda Kampen(edda.kampen(at)hs-emden-leer.de) or by post to the following address: Förderkreis Seefahrtschule Leer e.V., attn. Edda Kampen, Bergmannstraße 36, 26789 Leer.