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Panama to begin vaccinating foreign seafarers

by Jason Zuidema, NAMMA/ICMA In a Press Conference, Nov. 23, Luis Francisco Sucre, Health Minister of Panama, announced that vaccines will now be available for seafarers visiting the country on Panama-flagged vessels. Mr. Sucre specified that doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, branded as Covishield or Vaxzevria in different countries, will be offered to seafarers entering […]

1 Ball 4 All – 700 Basketballs Travel on the Oceans

by Silvie Boyd, DSM Port Chaplain, Le Havre, France A new project of the Deutsche Seemannsmission e.V. (German Seamen’s Mission) is taking German and European ports and thus all the world’s oceans by storm. The crew of the Maersk Estelle ordered a basketball in the port of Le Havre in January 2021. Like so many seafarers, […]

Book Review: Stella Maris in the Philippines

Review by Jason Zuidema Maruja MB Asis, ed. Stella Maris in the Philippines: Caring for Seafarers, Fishers and their Families. Scalabrini Migration Center. 2021. 124pp. This edited collection brings together narrative and documents to understand Stella Maris ministry in the Philippines. Stella Maris – formerly Apostleship of the Sea – the Catholic maritime charity, is […]

Bishop Cahill Celebrates Mass with Seafarers in Port

by Susan Huppert, NAMMA Thanksgiving filled the bridge of M/V Bow Star as the Reverend Brendan J. Cahill, bishop promoter for Stella Maris celebrated Mass with 13 Filipino seafarers at Point Comfort, Texas, the first week of November. “It was a mesmerizing experience to watch the bishop celebrate the Holy Eucharist on the bridge with […]

COVID Vaccines for Seafarers in Canadian Ports

by Susan Huppert, NAMMA Recognizing seafarers as essential workers and understanding their role in the global market is yielding support for their vaccination needs in various Canadian ports. The Chamber of Shipping, the voice of the marine industry on Canada’s West Coast, is working with four regional health authorities to make vaccinations available to the […]

Port of Charleston Dedicates New Seafarers’ Center Honoring Fr. Len Williams

by Deacon Paul Rosenblum, Stella Maris/NAMMA “The Father Arthur Lenwood Williams, Jr. Center is hereby named on the 23rd day of September 2021.” With those words, the Charleston Port and Seafarers’ Society (ChaPSS) officially opened its newest dockside seafarers’ center at the Hugh Leatherman Terminal in Charleston, SC, dedicating it in honor of the society’s […]

Book Review: Arriving Today by Christopher Mims

Review by Dr. Jason Zuidema, NAMMA/ICMA Christopher Mims, Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door – Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy. Harper, 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic drew a spotlight on how much we all rely on shipping every day. It was very useful to be able easily to get essential […]

Book Review: Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind: 40 Portraits of Seafarers by Seafarers

by Dr. Jason Zuidema, NAMMA/ICMA ITF Seafarers’ Trust, Out of Sight, Not Out of Mind: 40 Portraits of Seafarers by Seafarers, Wall & Vivien Publishing 2021, 96pp. This beautiful picture book is the fruit of a second photo campaign of the ITF Seafarers’ Trust, launched in March 2021, with winners announced on June 25, The […]

Caring for I-Kiribati Seafarers in Distress – a Worldwide Ministry

by Kevin Walker and Susan Huppert, NAMMA Seafarers’ ministries all over the world have been deeply involved in caring and advocating for seafarers caught in the COVID-19 Crew Change Crisis, from which many touching stories have emerged in the last year. Few stories, however, compare in scale to the seafarers of Kiribati (pronounced ‘kee-ree-bahss’, adjective […]

Global Maritime Ministries sustains hurricane damage

by Susan Huppert, NAMMA Hurricane Ida unleashed havoc on Southeast Louisiana, August 30, including the Global Maritime Ministries centers in New Orleans and the River Parishes locations. According to Executive Director Rev. Philip Vandercook, the River Parish ministry center sustained major damage. Roof, ceiling and floors will need replacing. The New Orleans center will also […]

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