With two partners, Seafarer’s Social Service Oldenburg (SSSO) has installed a free wireless system at the port of Oldenburg. Seafarers at the port now have free Internet access and can keep in touch with their distant homeland much more easily.
Those who go to sea are often separated from friends and families for months at a time. Social contacts on board are sparse and usually limited to the crew of the respective ship. Not only since the Corona pandemic has the Internet been considered the „key to seafarers‘ happiness“ – and it is with some pride that the employees of the Seafarer’s Social Service Oldenburg (SSSO) can now say that they have contributed a little to this happiness: Together with the association Freifunk e.V. and with the kind support of the company Agravis, which has made its towers available for the project, the SSSO has installed a freifunk system that provides seafarers at Oldenburg’s port with free access to the Internet.
The current bandwidth, explains Jürgen Steinecke, regional manager north of the Humanist Association, is sufficient for current requirements. However, Steinecke also promises, „We are continuously working on improving the bandwidth so that we can guarantee a stable connection in the future, even under heavy load.“ The Port of Oldenburg is currently being expanded, so a greater volume of ships can be expected in the future.
By way of background, the Seafarer’s Social Service Oldenburg (SSSO), which looks after the interests of seafarers in Oldenburg, has been in place since January 1, 2021. Lord Mayor Jürgen Krogmann has assumed patronage for the project. Premises have been rented at Cloppenburger Strasse 345, which will in future house the „50 Miles“ club and meeting place. Due to the Corona pandemic, the club must remain closed for the time being. However, as soon as the infection situation allows, the 50 Miles will finally start operating.
Both SSSO and 50 Miles are looking for volunteers. For more information, please call 0162 5108629 or send an e-mail to info[at]50miles.de.