Page 7 - Hafen Hamburg Magazin

Quartermasters need to be versatile
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PORT OF TASTE ■
Qualitatively high-grade products make true enjoyment more likely. For centuries, quartermasters in the Port of Hamburg have ensured that basic ingredients from all over the world reach customers in perfect condition. Some of them process the produce on the spot.
A large share of the responsibility for precious pro- duce from overseas rests with Hamburg quartermas- ters. Over time, the career definition has changed. Meanwhile, barely anybody exists with a complete grasp of import regulations, quality checks, further processing and onward transport for the wares...
Instead, four specializations have taken over the quar- termaster’s duties. While the trained forwarding/logis- tics clerk (m/f) mainly attends to import regulations, other specialists look after port and warehouse logis- tics, and a warehousing expert after storage prior to transport to the customer. These specializations are concentrated mainly in small and mid-size firms in the Port of Hamburg wholly dedicated to their products.
Nobody knows exactly when the term ‘quartermas- ter’ was first used. Some people say that the term was already in use in the 17th century. Quartermas- ters in the company warehouse employed a Küper, or cooper. “The term Küper was primarily used in Bre- men. At the same time Quartiersmann gained accept- ance in Hamburg,” explains Knut Heykena of the UVHH – Association of Port of Hamburg Businesses. This body was responsible for the goods imported, checking and storing these. The Association of Ham-
burg Quartermasters was founded in 1886 and is now an arm of the UVHH.
THE QUARTERMASTER AND HIS ‘CONSORTS’
Not every merchant could afford a full-time quarter- master at the time. So freelance quartermasters more and more often set up small firms, each comprising four people. These were named after the head quar- termaster, with the term ‘consort’ applying to the oth- er three. They offered their services to all merchants.
A DISTRICT FOR QUARTERMASTERS
The sector enjoyed a boom towards the end of the 19th century, when Speicherstadt – or Warehouse City – was built in Hamburg. Quartermasters then had the opportunity to store exotic fruits, coffee, cocoa, tea and spices separately and on several floors. They checked them on arrival, assessed their quality and sometimes processed the products. They were also responsible for onward transport to the customer. Speicherstadt was ideally designed for these purpos- es. For instance, each building had access to the ca- nals on one side, and on the other, to the street. The produce reached the quartermasters by water in flat barges. Using hydraulic winches, they then hoisted the bags up to the relevant floor.
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