Extract from: Chronik Freie Hansestadt Bremen 1955
(Chronicle of the Free Hanse Town Bremen 1955)

As the company Nordwestdeutscher Frachtverkehr B. Dettmer & Co., Bremen, took up its activity on 1st August, 1947, one actually went through everything else but years of financial speculation. The German economy was still in the deepest depression of the post-wartime, and especially the seaport traffic showed a frightening low. These seaports were always the big employer of the Weser shipping business and would be in the future as well, which also had to be recognized after a lost war. But no one could foresee how, and above all when, an international trade with Germany's participation would develop again. So the young company did not know whether or not a rewarding field of work would actually be open to it soon.

MV "Gelsenkirchen"
On the coastal canal with a cargo of coal
for the Bremer Woll-Kämmerei, Bremen-Blumenthal

It was therefore a daring action as Bernhard Dettmer decided to give up his occupation in an old and reputable company in Bremen, whose activity was closely connected to coastal shipping and seaport traffic in the same manner, and, together with his brother Wilhelm Dettmer, to set up a company of their own. Behind this decision was his sound self-confidence in a thorough education pertaining to all matters of inland shipping and a sober consideration of what was possible at the time. The two proprietors began their activity with the chartering of ship owners (masters of private owned vessels) in the peculiar operation form often found along the Weser. The master makes available the vessel, his crew and his personal services and leaves the business transactions of the charter contract and the cargo acquisition up to the entrepreneur, whom he joins for a short or mostly very long time, often for decades. For a newly established company this already bears a certain risk, since a high measure of mutual confidence is needed, in order to work in this operating form for long. This company apparently enjoyed this trust very soon. Numerous private shipowners joined the company, and it was proven that in the field of Weser shipping there was still much new territory to be gained.

Upon overcoming the initial stage soon the own best interest of a Bremen shipowner was revealed, namely to carry out the transportation business with own vessels as well. The development of an own fleet was therefore the dominating idea of the company during the following years. Certainly the opportunity presented itself to make use of tax benefits as well as of merchant shipping; but the assistance yet so abundantly available on the Rhine was missing, which in this field could be granted by a combine to its affiliated companies active in the inland shipping business. So it once again depended on gaining trust, namely trust which naturally could only be aimed at the person. This test was also passed. Today 12 of the most perfectly equipped own motor vessels are running under the red and white flag with the black D; 3 further motor vessels are currently under construction. Together with linked-up vessels of the prviate masters the company disposes of round 45 000 tons loading space. With this the company has achieved a transportation performance of approximately 740 000 tons in the year 1954.

MV "Jaguar"
On the coastal canal with a special shipment
cauldron system, Bremen-Rotterdam

Thereupon Bernhard Dettmer has brought a highly welcome support for the seaports of the Weser and for the inland shipping business, as a result of hard work and skill. The Schifffahrtsverband für das Wesergebiet e.V. (Shipping Union for the Weser Region), Bremen, therefore appointed Bernhard Dettmer into the board of directors, and in 1954 the board of directors also entrusted him with the assignment to be in charge of the supervision of the activity of the Transportzentrale Binnenschifffahrt Bremen (Transportation Headquarters Inland Shipping Bremen), who works in close connection with the Schifffahrtsverband (Shipping Union). The standard goods of the forwarding plan of the company are grain in transportation from the seaports up country and coal from the Ruhr region in almost all directions, especially into the economic area of the lower Weser region. Beside this a range of new traffic, not yet covered by the Weser shipping business, has been set up. These achievements are a result of attentive service to the customer, which plays a special role in the sensitive seaports. Therefore not only the fleet of fast motor vessels is important, with middle-sized vessels, but further a great flexibility in the disposition is indispensable. Also in this company it has proved to be true that the Weser shipping business rises and falls with the adaption to the interests of the seaports.

The frequency of the departures of the vessels of the company Nordwestdeutsche Frachtverkehr (northwest German charter traffic) is approaching the goal of the inland shipping liner traffic, which in the future most likely must be the supplement of the sea-ship liner traffic, and which will particularly establish the required density of traffic to the Ruhr and Rhine region. Therefore it was a natural consequence of the development that in the past years the company - in the interest of the disposition - established relay stations by setting up branch offices in Duisburg, Emden and Mannheim.

This increase of efforts is also welcome to Bremen and the Weser shipping business because by the expansion of the waterways, of the coastal canal and above all by the canalization of the middle Weser a major development in the arrival and departures at the seaports is beginning.