KOMPASsion

YOUR STAY MAKES A DIFFERENCE

KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg is a 100 % non-profit hotel. Every cent of the profits from the hotel's operations goes to welfare work. Every time you choose us, you help support our social welfare work, especially for seafarers and others in the maritime community.

SOCIAL WORK AMONG SEAFARERS

Life at sea can be tough; conditions onboard can be demanding and loved ones are far away. Living in small quarters, away from home for up to nine months at a time can take its toll. Fortunately, Seaman Aalborg is always ready to take good care of the thousands of seamen that come to town every year.

WE SUPPORT...

KOMPAS Hotel supports local partners and a number of welfare projects. Below you can see an updated overview of the partners we sponsor.

YOUR STAY MAKES A DIFFERENCE

KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg was originally founded by Domestic Seamen's Mission. We have the opportunity to support them through our mission statement. In 2022, we have donated DKK 500,000, which goes towards our local missionary's salary and other specific tasks. Seamen's Mission's latest project is to improve the well-being of young people at Danish maritime schools, where 1 new employee will be hired to fulfil this task. See more below about Seamen's Mission's core story.

THE DANISH SEAMEN'S HOMES

Today, KOMPAS Hotel is a modern hotel, but originally, we were founded as a seamen’s home in 1905 – a heritage which we are proud of and still build our business on. We have two sister hotels in Denmark and three in Greenland.

KNITTING CLUB FOR SEAMAN AALBORG

For over 100 years, Seaman Aalborg has handed out home-knitted socks and hats to sailors in December, and this Christmas tradition continues! Every second Wednesday, a group of ladies meet at KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg to knit and cosy up for a good cause. Would you like to join in?

Life as a seafarer is tough; the tone on the ship can be harsh and family is far away. You live in cramped conditions and are away from home for up to nine months at a time, with only sporadic access to phone and wi-fi along the way. Fortunately, there are welfare organisations such as Seaman Aalborg, which do a lot of work to ensure that the seafarers who come to Aalborg Harbour feel welcome.

Every day, Seaman Aalborg's welfare officer visits the ships that have arrived at Aalborg Harbour during the day. The seamen receive a warm welcome and are offered help with practical and personal needs. They are also given the opportunity to buy phone and internet cards and get a lift into town.

Seaman Aalborg's welfare work is only possible because of the financial support of several organisations, and the three largest sponsors are KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg, Port of Aalborg and Sea Health & Welfare (formerly Handelsflådens Velfærdsråd). The hotel's profits go to the social welfare work at the Port of Aalborg.

In this way, we as a hotel maintain our maritime heritage as a former sailor's home. Through Seaman Aalborg, we help make a big difference to the thousands of seafarers who come to the city every year.

About Seaman Aalborg
Seaman Aalborg is a welfare programme at the Port of Aalborg, established in 2013 by Port of Aalborg, KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg and Sea Health & Welfare. The purpose is to visit and service the seamen who enter the Port of Aalborg on a daily basis.

The primary service consists of:

Distribution of free newspapers. Seaman Aalborg has a subscription to print 2,100 international newspapers in 102 different languages. Each nationality on the ships receives a newspaper.
Distribution of internet and telephony products. It allows the sailor to get in touch with family and friends.
Exchange library books. On most ships there is a small library. When the seafarers need new books, Seaman Aalborg replaces all the books with new ones. The Seafarers' Library continuously replenishes the books, so there are always new books for the seafarers.
Offer transport from the ship to the Seaman's Lounge at KOMPAS Hotel. Seamen are picked up in the afternoon or evening if they need to go into town or want to visit the hotel. The hotel makes its facilities available to the seamen, including free Wi-Fi, sauna, billiards and table football.
Help with purchasing
Sick visits

Follow Seaman Aalborg on Facebook.

Support our sponsors - they support us
Our sponsors form the foundation for Seaman Aalborg to provide a good, daily service at the Port of Aalborg, and the team behind Seaman Aalborg is deeply grateful to the companies and organisations that have chosen to support the maritime welfare work.

Main sponsors:
Port of Aalborg A/S
Sea Health & Welfare
KOMPAS Hotel Aalborg

Sponsors:
The Lauritzen Foundation
Wrist Ship Supply A/S
Aalborg Portland A/S
Nordjyske Bank A/S
TL Byg A/S
ShipCargo Ltd.
Ejner Pedersen VVS
Hedegaard A/S
Michael Wulff A/S
SDK Shipping DK A/S
Nørresundby Rederi & Shipping

Financial contributions are still needed to develop and continue the great and important social work that Seaman Aalborg carries out every day at Aalborg Harbour. If you are also interested in supporting Seaman Aalborg, you are very welcome to contact Hotel Manager Bo Kikkenborg on (+45) 42 44 19 00 or email bo@kompashotel.dk.

Would you like to knit Christmas gifts for travelling seafarers who have to celebrate Christmas at sea far away from their family and friends? The tradition of Seaman Aalborg and KOMPAS Hotel handing out home-knitted Christmas gifts to seafarers in Aalborg Harbour goes back over 100 years, and the tradition is still going strong.

The knitting club meets every other week at KOMPAS Hotel for knitting and fun, and you are welcome to come and go as it suits your programme. You are also welcome to knit from home, and there are no obligations regarding how many pairs of socks (or anything else) you need to knit. We welcome everything that comes in!

It's free to join and KOMPAS Hotel provides yarn, so you don't have to take your wallet out of your pocket to join the knitting club. And if you just want to come and have a cup of coffee with us without knitting, you are also welcome.

We look forward to hearing from you!

What: Knitting club for a good cause
Organiser: Seaman Aalborg
Who: Everyone who has the time and inclination
Where: KOMPAS Hotel, Østerbro 27, 9000 Aalborg (or at your own home)
When: Every second Wednesday (odd weeks) 13-15
Price: Free of charge
Yarn: KOMPAS Hotel sponsors the yarn for the knitting club
Attendance obligation: No one - you can come and go to our Wednesday meetings as you please, but please let us know by text message if you are unable to attend. You don't need to explain why - we just need to know how much coffee to prepare.
Contact us: Carsten Schmidt, Welfare Officer, mobile: 25 73 97 40

Background of the knitting club:

For over 100 years, Seaman Aalborg, in collaboration with KOMPAS Hotel (the former sailor's home), has been handing out Christmas gifts to travelling sailors who dock in Aalborg during December. The sailors are always incredibly honoured and happy, and many say: "I can't believe that someone in a foreign harbour has thought of me..." But it's actually just as much of a joy for us to be able to give this small gift when it creates so much joy. It's one of the absolute highlights of the year.

The gifts have traditionally consisted of home-knitted socks and hats, which are knitted by volunteer seamen's wives and widows in a number of seamen's circles around the country throughout the year. After a 10-year break from this wonderful tradition, Seaman Aalborg decided to resume knitting in early 2018. A knitting club was set up at KOMPAS Hotel, where knitting enthusiasts can come and knit for a good cause while having a cosy chat and a cup of coffee.

If you can't make it to the Wednesday knitting club, you are more than welcome to knit from home. Just arrange this with Carsten Schmidt.

We primarily aim to knit men's socks in sizes 42-44, but of course you knit what you can. Hats, mittens, scarves, sweaters etc. are also welcome.