NAMMA Conference 2026
Date: August 4-6, 2026
Theme: “Windows to the World”
Introduction: Seafarers’ welfare organizations operate at the intersection of global trade, human movement, and local port communities. In a time marked by rapid change, uncertainty, and disruption, this vantage point offers unique clarity. NAMMA’s 2026 Conference, Windows to the World, to be held August 4–6 in Philadelphia, PA, brings together more than 100 delegates from seafarers’ welfare organizations across North America and beyond, alongside partners from the wider maritime community.
The ports where those working in seafarers’ ministry serve become windows through which global trends, emerging challenges, and human realities are clearly visible. At the same time, seafarers’ mission personnel themselves serve as windows for visiting seafarers—an embodiment of welcome, connection, and trust in unfamiliar settings. This conference will explore pressing issues in seafarers’ welfare, emerging competencies and training needs, regulatory developments, and new opportunities through partnerships and technology. Together, participants will reflect on how seafarers’ welfare continues to offer insight, stability, and connection in a changing world.
Our local sponsor and partner for this event is the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) of Philadelphia & South Jersey, a trusted presence in Greater Philadelphia since 1843. With deep historic roots serving seafarers in the region, SCI has evolved over time to meet the changing needs of maritime workers—transitioning from a floating chapel on the Delaware River to a full-service facility in Center City, and now operating out of the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Today, SCI continues its mission through mobile shipboard services, offering hospitality, advocacy, and support to seafarers arriving in the Port of Philadelphia and wider region.
Conference Venue: Philadelphia Marriott Old City
Schedule
- Tuesday 4 August
- Session 1
- Welcome and Conference Introduction – Dcn. Paul Rosenblum (NAMMA President)
- Welcome from Local Host – Robert Herb (President, Seamen’s Church Institute of Philadelphia & South Jersey / Director, Terminal Shipping Co.) with Rebecca Pierson and Ted Dahlberg
- Arsenio Dominguez (Secretary General, IMO), video message
- Mark Staples (Author), The Story of Pedro’s Delivery
- Session 2
- RDML Rob Compher (Assistant Commandant for Prevention Policy, United States Coast Guard)
- Joe Kramek (President & CEO, World Shipping Council)
- The Rev’d Mark Nestlehutt (President and Executive Director, The Seamen’s Church Institute; Chair of Trustees, International Christian Maritime Association)
- Opening worship – Christ Church Philadelphia
- 7:30 p.m. – Dinner (provided) and Entertainment by the Mummers, Hamilton Room, Marriott Old City Hotel
- Session 1
- Wednesday 5 August
- opening prayer – Dcn. Paul Rosenblum
- Session 3 – Panel Discussion – “Finding Clarity Amid Maritime Uncertainty”
- Moderator: Dr. Jason Zuidema
- Introduction: Dana Blume, Executive Director, Houston International Seafarers’ Center
- Bud Darr, CEO, Cruise Lines International Association
- Kathy Metcalf, President Emeritus, Chamber of Shipping of America
- Tom Orzechowski, Secretary-Treasurer, Seafarers’ International Union of North America
- Session 4 – Panel Presentations – “Advocacy for Seafarers: Partnerships, Experience, and Increased Impact”
- Moderator and Introduction: Chaplain Michelle DePooter, Montreal Ministry to Seafarers
- The Ven. Dr. Peter Rouch, Secretary General, The Mission to Seafarers
- Phil Schifflin, Center for Mariner Advocacy, The Seamen’s Church Institute
- Simon Grainge, ISWAN
- Lunch round-table discussion: cruise port ministry participants with Bud Darr, CLIA
- Session 5 – Workshop: Training for a Next Generation of Seafarers’ Welfare – Moderator: Dr. Christopher Graham
- NAMMA Seafarers’ Welfare Awards – Doreen Badeaux and Stephen Cushing
- Daily Prayer
- Thursday 6 August
- Session 7 – “Developing Competencies for Maritime Chaplaincy”
- Moderator: Dcn. Dr. Jeff Willard, Stella Maris, Galveston, TX
- The Rev’d David W. Fleenor, PhD – “Essential Competencies for Maritime Chaplaincy: Lessons Learned from Study Prepared for the Seamen’s Church Institute” (download At the Water’s Edge book here)
- Kaylena Radcliff, Christian History magazine (number 159, Christianity on the Seas)
- Session 8 – Workshops
- Moderator: The Rev. D. Lowell Chilton, Albany Maritime Ministry
- “Improving Our Listening Skills for the Benefit of Seafarers” – Brenna McGinnis, JUST Listening
- Session 9 – “For Those in Peril on the Sea: Serving Seafarers in Conflict Zones”
- Dr. Jason Zuidema – “Seafarers’ experiences in the Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz“
- [Video] Capt. Raman Kapoor
- Fr. Paul Makar, Ukrainian Catholic Church – “The War in Ukraine and serving Ukrainian Seafarers”
- Presentation – Chris Watson, Mobile Beacon – “Mobile Beacon WiFi for Seafarers in Port and for Seafarers’ Centers in the United States“
- Session 10
- Thomas Damsgaard, Head of Americas, BIMCO – “BIMCO-ICS Seafarers’ Workforce Report and Fair Seas for Future Seafarers“
- Dcn. Paul Rosenblum (NAMMA President) – “Looking to the Future: Lessons from Experience in NAMMA“
- Conference closing video (Noah Leon)
- Closing Worship – homily: Chaplain Michelle DePooter
- Session 7 – “Developing Competencies for Maritime Chaplaincy”
Contact: executivedirector@namma.org
Conference Program Committee: Helene Pierson (SCI Philadelphia & South Jersey) (local contact), Dr. Christopher Graham (NAMMA), Pastor Lowell Chilton (Albany Maritime Ministry SIH), Dcn. Jeff Willard (Galveston Stella Maris), Helen Glenn (Mission to Seafarers Halifax), Dr. Jason Zuidema (NAMMA)