Uexk'll thanked them sincerely for their support. "The WFC," he stated, "fills a gap among international organisations by conducting research into forward-looking solutions and supporting their implementation directly all over the world."
The handover of the check took place during the Senate reception held in honor of brothers Bertram and Erck Rickmers in the large banquet room of Hamburg's town hall. Addressing 450 international guests, Ole von Beust, Mayor of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, expressed appreciation of the longstanding family tradition and the current contribution made by the Rickmers companies to the maritime industry in Hamburg. Bertram and Erck Rickmers are the fifth generation of the Rickmers family to work in shipping. They run two separate groups of companies and between them employ over 5,000 people on land and at sea.