Résumé
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Mr. Winfried Strauch was born in Breslau on 11 February 1944. He began his training in the merchant navy in 1961. At that time, it was usual to complete an apprenticeship to become an ordinary seaman, followed by periods of service and study to gain a boatswain's and foreign trade master's ticket. Mr. Strauch has a professional diploma in nautical science, is a recognized and appointed training officer and a reserve officer in the German Navy. His service on general cargo, bulk cargo, semi-container, offshore supply and research vessels provided him with valuable experience for his work as a training officer and, subsequently, in onshore training roles. |
In late 1974, he began many years' service as a training manager for Hafenbetriebsverein im Lande Bremen e.V., the employers' association for the port of Bremen. In this role, he made a major contribution to the development of Hafenfachschule im Lande Bremen e.V., the training college which he managed until 1996. The college quickly won an excellent reputation in Germany and abroad and was approached for help by many countries and other ports. He lectured and taught numerous subjects including stowage and stacking, cargo securing, handling and loading technology and methods. He was responsible for penning the majority of the course plans and curricula as well as the teaching materials. For many years, he worked as, among other things, a consultant and lecturer in Jordan, China and India. In addition to his primary activities in Bremen and the Port of Bremen, he also trained personnel in shipping matters in hundreds of towns and companies in Germany and neighboring countries. For example, in 1985 he co-authored, together with Prof. Hermann Kaps, Captain Gerhard Ramcke and Captain Helmut Stradt, a 100 page booklet on practical cargo securing issues which, surprisingly, is still in circulation.
Since 1994, Mr. Strauch has been working with the Loss Prevention Committee of the German transport insurers within the German Insurance Association (GDV e.V.), among other things making a major contribution to the compilation of GDV's three hundred and fifty page Cargo Securing Manual. He also made a vital contribution to the success of numerous training initiatives and inspections in collaboration with German police and goods transport authorities. In addition to his wide-ranging expertise, he has a particular talent for teaching which enables him to present complicated cargo securing issues in a memorable and understandable manner. His expert input has also ensured, in collaboration with GDV, that much greater attention is now paid to load securing on road vehicles. Since 1996, Winfried Strauch has been a freelance loss adjuster primarily focusing on load/cargo securing on road/rail vehicles and in ships and cargo handling methods.
Mr. Strauch developed the idea of replacing poorly defined terms such as among other things breaking load and safe working load (SWL) with standardized values for maximum securing load (MSL) for various materials and, thanks to Prof. Hermann Kaps' commitment, this is now included in the regulations of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Maximum securing load values have been mandatory in the Federal Republic of Germany since 1996.