Auf Weidersehen Hanseatic Spirit; welcome Hanseatic Commissioner

Hanseatic Spirit sailing past the Port of Felixstowe, as viewed from Shotley Gate. Credit: David Casey

Our Hanse ‘Week’ continues!

Athough the 230-guest cruise ship Hanseatic Spirit sailed out of Ipswich and along the river Orwell on Saturday night, 3^rd October, we hope she will return one day.

IMT members were presented with this plaque, commemorating our visit to the Hanseatic Spirit on Saturday 3rd October 2026, during her maiden voyage to Ipswich

In the meantime, we were very pleased to receive from the captain, Claas Fischer, a plaque commemorating the ship. IMT representatives presented him with copies of the booklet Ipswich A Hanseatic Port by IMT member Pat Grimwade, and a print of the drawing by local artist Stephen Patterson of The Port of Ipswich Today, which was chosen for display in the HANSEArtWORKS 2026 exhibition in Stargard, Poland, in June.

IMT presentation: from left to right: Pat Grimwade, author of Ipswich A Hanseatic Port, captain Claas Fischer; IMT Trustee Cathy Shelbourne; and Stuart Grimwade, IMT Image Archivist

The ship’s next port of call was Greenwich and Tower Bridge, and her final destination is Hamburg, one of the finest Hanseatic ports – and like Ipswich, a member of the modern New Hanse association of around 190 merchant towns and cities across Europe connected by the Hanseatic trade since medieval times. Current English members are Beverley, Boston, Great Yarmouth, Hull, Ipswich and King’s Lynn.

Continuing with our Hanse ‘Week’, we welcome Phillip Eke from King’s Lynn, Hanse Commissioner for England, to give a talk on Wednesday 7^th October at 7.30pm in the Methodist Church in Black Horse Lane, Ipswich. See flier below. Guests are very welcome: £5 (free to IMT members).

Phillip will be putting into context the history and continuing relevance of the Hanseatic League; display boards explaining Ipswich’s connections will be in the hall; and copies of the booklet Ipswich A Hanseatic Port,

published by IMT, will be on sale for £2.50.

Our thanks to ABP, port agents Denholm, and ship operators Hapag Lloyd, for facilitating our visit to the ship.