How we are proficient to serve merchant seafarers

Loneliness, danger, harsh weather, isolation, anxiety, cultural division, separation from loved ones, exceedingly long hours of duty and an absence of what is considered to be a ‘normal’ life – these are just some of the problems faced by today’s merchant seafarers.

Around the world, night and day, wherever we are placed, the Sailors’ Society provides help and support to those seafarers and their immediate relatives in need. We work in more than 100 international trading ports, adhering to Christian principles and values, caring for the wellbeing and welfare of merchant seafarers of all nationalities and faiths.

Our global network of trained Chaplains is at the forefront of our work and they form the nucleus of our organisation. These men and women, both employed and volunteer Chaplains, reach out to merchant seafarers by visiting them on their ships. They strive to meet the seafarer’s everyday practical welfare wants, responding to their personal, emotional, mental and spiritual needs and they are trained and equipped to deal with those private and personal matters that an employer and ship operator cannot.

Our Chaplains are skilled in the art of listening, counselling and advising. They organise practical help, render immediate assistance to seafarers in difficulty, provide welfare support and give sustenance to the spirit of those who seek spiritual support or guidance.

The Chaplains of the Sailors’ Society are drawn from a wide variety of Christian denominations including Baptist, Church of Belgium, Lutheran, Methodist, Pentecostal, Presbyterian, Protestant, Russian Orthodox, Salvationist, United Reformed, the Uniting Church of Australia, and former Catholics who now follow the Baptist philosophy.

Many of our Chaplains came from other professions before answering their calling to chaplaincy, so they bring a breadth of well-rounded worldliness, practical knowledge and deep understanding of people to their work. This wide ranging experience includes those who have served as professional Seafarers in both the Merchant and the British Royal Navy, Soldiers from the Russian Army, a Fish Auctioneer, an Hotel Receptionist, an IT Computer Instructor, an Electronics Officer, a Mechanical Engineer, a Lawyer and Insurance Assessor, a Carpenter and Joiner, a Construction Engineer, a Laboratory Technician, a Teacher, a Company Director, an Interpreter, a Design Draftsman and a part-time Policeman.

Our charity’s governing Board of Trustees, volunteer men and women, possess a wide range of working experience and professional expertise in relevant fields – Accountancy, Banking, Business Management, Chartered Surveying, Chaplaincy, Commercial Directorships, Faith matters, Law, Logistics, Risk Management, Ship Operations, Taxation, Trading and Retailing together with knowledge of charity governance and organisational know-how.

Our donation appeals, administration, accounts and our management functions are staffed by a dedicated team of 20 employees.