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 […]
by Jason Zuidema Image: Selection from a chat conversation on April 21 between seafarer and Jason Zuidema on Chat to a Chaplain In normal times, the best methods to interact with seafarers are physical visits to ships and transport to shops or the seamen’s club. Yet, seafarers’ centres are closed in almost all ports globally […]
Ecumenical charity Liverpool Seafarers Centre has hailed the heart-warming response to its appeal for donations after the community pulled together to support seafarers. The Crosby centre called on the public to help after announcing it would be increasing its ship visits for those who cannot leave their vessels during the COVID-19 pandemic. The charity closed […]
Image: When seafarers arrived in the Port of Montreal on April 3, they texted local Chaplain David Rozeboom for some sweets which he then purchased and delivered to the gangway. The coronavirus crisis has deeply impacted the ministry methods of Christian seafarers’ welfare charities around the world. Ship visitors and chaplains have had to adapt […]
That we all crave social contact has become painfully clear in the past weeks – we do not do well in self isolation, especially in quarantine. If there is any upside to the current crisis, it might be that we are learning that we need each other and we can’t take each other for granted. […]
ICMA is in conversation with Rev. Philip Edell, Chaplain and director of The Mission to Seafarers in Dunkirk, France about how to boost efforts at digital chaplaincy. Listen to the original conversation (link here) or read the interview here. (We have lightly edited for clarity). Jason Zuidema: Welcome everyone. It’s great to see you all […]
