The navigator

His travels around the globe serve a greater purpose. On behalf of BLG LOGISTICS, port expert Ferdinand Möhring supports the humanitarian aid of the UN World Food Programme WFP.

The tiny windshield wipers cannot cope. In the middle of this heavy tropical downpour, navigating is a matter of pure luck. On board the light aircraft, in Ferdinand Möhring’s recollection no more than a tin box, the mood is tense. “The door was half open. The pilot could hardly see a thing,” recalls the intrepid traveler on a challenging trip through Eastern Congo. That the plane manages to land safely despite the lashing rain is nothing short of a miracle. “Of all the trips I have made, that was the scariest moment ever,” Möhring says. And this is by no means the first such mission the BLG LOGISTICS port expert has undertaken in the name of duty.

A look back to November 2018. The war in Eastern Congo overshadows everything. Many of the main access roads are unpassable. Civilian air traffic is grounded. Ebola fever is spreading. Why on earth is Möhring, at home in Bremen Head of Transport Policy and Executive Affairs at BLG, flying through Eastern Congo in a rickety plane? The reason: because he is pursuing a higher objective.

Bukavu, Kivusee, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mwanza at Victoriasee, Tanzania

Uvira, Tanganyikasee, Demokratische Republik Kongo

Bukavu, Kivusee, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mwanza at Victoriasee, Tanzania

Uvira, Tanganyikasee, Democratic Republic of Congo

The 62-year-old has been supporting the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) on behalf of BLG for a decade. He travels to conflict regions and after every trip writes a report and formulates recommendations. In the effort to eradicate hunger, it is important for WFP to be able to assess the logistics on the ground. Möhring’s job is to deliver an expert opinion on the local situation and infrastructure. BLG LOGISTICS makes this logistics expertise available to WFP free of charge, providing important support that has its roots in Bremen.

His travel reports read like adventure stories. Take his trip around Lake Tanganyika in Central Africa. The world’s second-deepest lake, which lies on the borders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Zambia and Burundi, makes a lasting impression on Möhring. Seeing the Liemba, one of the world’s oldest operating passenger ships, in action there is an unforgettable experience. With 650 kilometers of shoreline, driving around Lake Tanganyika by car is an ordeal. The dust, the heat, the potholes are merely passing distractions. What matters to Möhring are the support briefings on humanitarian logistics.

WFP’s aid deliveries rely on stable transport routes. When in November 2022 a donation of 25,000 metric tons of wheat for food aid urgently needed to be transported to Ethiopia, Möhring helped analyze the logistics situation on the ground. The only access to the sea was through Djibouti. From there, the grain was transported overland and distributed to starving people across the country. Möhring, the navigator, was able to report upfront what rail connections, roads, grain silos and bagging facilities were accessible. This is just one example of how voluntary engagement helps to ensure that a grain donation actually reaches its destination.

Signing of the Standby Partnership Agreement
October 2022

Möhring feels immensely proud that BLG LOGISTICS has made a clear commitment to permanently combat hunger around the globe. In October 2022, the logistics company and WFP extended their ten-year cooperation once again. In Rome, Möhring and BLG CEO Frank Dreeke signed a Standby Partnership Agreement between the Bremen-based company and WFP. This serves as the contractual basis for the provision of humanitarian aid and makes BLG LOGISTICS one of the official WFP partner organizations worldwide. It is another factor that motivates Möhring to continue his commitment. The satisfying feeling of being able and having the opportunity to make a difference is his constant travel companion. After all of his missions, recommendations for action and advice, he regrets none of the danger, physical exertion or sacrifices. His wife, herself a keen world traveler, encourages him to continue to travel to poverty-stricken regions.

“Every mission and every return to our world is a grounding”
Ferdinand Möhring, Logistics expert

Möhring’s passport and certificates of vaccination read like the serialized novels of a tireless globetrotter. From Indonesia to Madagascar, Haiti, Bangladesh, Uganda, Trinidad, Somali Land to Ghana: the list of countries in which he has traveled as a networker and facilitator grows longer and longer. Some of his more memorable experiences include transfers in armored vehicles under police protection and an overnight stay in a United Nations peacekeeping camp. Experiencing the poverty of the people of Haiti first-hand left a profound impression on him. “Every mission and every return to our world is a grounding,” says the Bremen native. There is a stark contrast between his tasks on BLG’s management and his work for the World Food Programme. On his long-distance missions, the smart decision-maker and organizer becomes a bold “expert in mission.”

His keen desire to travel the world goes back to his early years on the beach along the banks of the River Weser, where young Ferdinand would watch the passing ships and activity on the water. Besides swimming and fishing, he developed a passion for cargo and breakbulk ships. His dream of becoming a captain began with an apprenticeship at a German shipping company. At the age of 17, with his parents’ blessing, Möhring embarked on his first long-distance voyage. It took him to Togo, left him with a malaria infection and marked the beginning of a long and active seafaring career. From deckhand to graduate navigating officer to captain: Möhring achieved what he had set his sights on as a young boy. What he could not have known then was that the spirit of adventure would never fade away.

Kigoma, at Tanganyikasee, Tanzania

Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Kibirizi bei Kigoma, Tanganyikasee, Tanzania

Kibirizi in Kigoma, Tanganyikasee, Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Kigoma, at Tanganyikasee, Tanzania

Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo

Kibirizi in Kigoma, Tanganyikasee, Tanzania

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

“On my trips, I receive a lot of appreciation and gratitude from the local communities. Their deep indebtedness is one of the things that keeps me motivated”
Ferdinand Möhring, Logistics expert

His career path at BLG LOGISTICS makes Möhring the ideal ambassador for sustainable commitment. He brings the perspective of a captain, logistics and port expert to the role. His professional experience as former Manager of Operations and General Manager Sales at Bremerhaven Container Terminal and former Managing Director of AutoTerminal Bremerhaven makes him a sought-after advisor. He has visited and inspected port facilities in Bangladesh, Ecuador, Indonesia and Haiti, and many other places. His desire to help others is tangible evidence of how BLG LOGISTICS, as a globally operating company, assumes responsibility toward the environment and society. “On my trips, I receive a lot of appreciation and gratitude from the local communities. Their deep indebtedness is one of the things that keeps me motivated,” Möhring admits.

World Food Programs

Some 128 million people in 120 countries and regions around the world benefit from the United Nations World Food Programme’s humanitarian food aid. WFP is supported in its outreach assistance by experts from all over the world who not only contribute their expertise, but also provide valuable learning curves. BLG LOGISTICS plays its part by deploying professionals like Möhring free of charge to assess the quality of sea routes, ports, infrastructure and hinterland logistics. Day in, day out, WFP has 5,600 trucks, 100 planes and 30 ships in operation to ensure that food and relief supplies reach people who need them.

5600

Trucks

100

Planes

Ships

In recognition of its work, the world’s largest humanitarian organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. It is on the ground to provide life-saving aid after natural disasters, during pandemics and in the midst of conflicts.

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