The future is female – even today, ports have long since ceased to be the exclusive domain of men. BLG LOGISTICS is seeing to it that this trend continues.
The BLG AutoTerminal Bremerhaven is one of the largest automotive ports in the world. Our Bremerhaven colleagues transshipped 1.3 million vehicles in 2024 – colleagues like sisters Cigdem and Cilem Estiken. As a stevedore, it is Cigdem Estiken’s responsibility to ensure that the ships are loaded correctly. Her younger sister, Cilem Estiken, is a lasher who secures the loads before departure. There is no question that women are still underrepresented among dock workers – even at BLG LOGISTICS. But change is happening. According to the latest survey, around 21% of logistics workers in Germany are women – at BLG LOGISTICS, that figure is 27%. And the trend in the port is on the up.
Technology has long since replaced back-breaking manual labor. What is harder to overcome is prejudice. BLG LOGISTICS is working on this too. The truth is that women make the port better – with their own ideas, leadership and can-do attitude. BLG LOGISTICS encourages all of this, giving successful women a platform in the port, providing good job prospects in the industry, and showing women the respect they deserve as leaders and skilled workers.
I believe that we are on a good trajectory, and that any woman willing to rise to the challenge can achieve almost anything at BLG.
Working together with men and women and with young and old colleagues alike always has a positive impact on the process and on team spirit. We all benefit from one another.
I love the feeling of being part of the transport chain. There’s a new challenge every day. Sadly, I feel like a lot of women wouldn’t even think of working at a port. That’s something we need to change!
