By Susan Huppert, NAMMA Between the grain fields of western Canada and continents across the Atlantic rests a small port where industry experts balance grain supplies and global demands. As of June 30, the Thunder Bay Port Authority reports exports are up seven percent over last year. Thunder Bay boasts the fastest ship turnaround time […]
By Dr. Jason Zuidema, Executive Director, NAMMA (Montreal, Quebec) with Kevin Walker, Executive Assistant, NAMMA (Halifax, NS) Introduction Since the early 19th century, faith-based, not-for-profit organizations have existed in ports in Canada to help visiting seafarers with whatever needs they have. Over the years, those needs have continually changed. At the end of the 19th […]
By Susan Huppert, NAMMA It seems seldom that we hear true stories of sacrificial concern for others, but when a Canadian business man, Paul Tremblay, decided to study English, his eyes were opened to far more than a language class. A rare but true story began. The great north has been harvesting its natural resources […]
By Deacon Paul Rosenblum At the end of Luke’s Gospel, he describes how Jesus commissions his disciples to go out to the world with the message of the Good News. He gives them the power to perform great miracles: driving out demons, healing the sick, speaking in new tongues, handling venomous serpents, drinking deadly liquids […]
On June 17, NAMMA’s membership gathered via GoToWebinar for the first online Annual General Meeting in its history. The meeting had to be taken online because of Coronavirus; earlier in the year the NAMMA Board had cancelled the 2020 annual conference, where in-person AGMs had traditionally held. At the same time all other in-person meetings […]
Photo: An able-bodied seaman climbs a kingpost to perform maintenance aboard a general cargo ship. Randy C. Bunney, Great Circle Photography [CC BY-SA 2.5] by Rev. David Reid MA AFNI An article written by William Langewiesche for the New York Times recently caught my attention – the article was titled “What really brought down the Boeing 737 […]
Reports of seafarers being denied medical evacuation or access to ports despite serious medical conditions. New guidance issued by ICS for shipowners and operators to deal with unwell seafarers UN bodies to deliver guidance to member states health ministry’s today to ensure medical assistance is provided to seafarers Guy Platten, Secretary General ICS said, “we’re […]
by Fr. Bruno Ciceri, cs Since the declaration of the pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), it was clear that the lives of seafarers, fishers and their families would be impacted significantly. Thanks to the stable work and a good salary, many seafarer’s families are representing the lower middle class. With the crisis triggered […]
Image: A lonely sight. Rinson Chory/Unsplash, FAL by Dr. Helen Devereux, Researcher in Seafarer health and safety, Solent Unviersity. Originally published May 4 in The Conversation. At the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, there was much attention on the plight of cruise tourists. Governments around the world closed their ports to cruise ships and refused to allow passengers to […]
by Kevin Walker, NAMMA More than a month into lockdown, COVID-19 and the safety precautions necessary to contain it continue to take their toll on seafarers’ welfare. Seafarers looking forward to relief have faced extension to their work terms, while those who minister to them face reduced work and feelings of futility. Isolation has increased […]
