News

Help for the crews of the Heroic Idun and Xing Shun No 1

14 Nov, 2022

When there’s a crisis at sea, our Crisis Response Network is there to provide support and care and presently the team is busy on the ground working with other agencies in respect of two very different critical incidents.

We are providing comfort and care to the crew and families of the crude oil tanker Heroic Idun, placed in detention in a dispute with the Nigerian Navy.

The 26 multinational crew members, 16 Indian along with eight Sri Lankan, one Filipino and one Polish, have now been detained in Equatorial Guinea for almost three months and a campaign is underway to secure their release.

Where we can, we are working with the families and other agencies to provide support and advocacy. We hope and pray the crew are released and home with their families soon.

Meanwhile, our chaplains are providing pastoral support to the families of the crew of the Xing Shun No 1, which sank off Taiwan at the beginning of this month.

The cement carrier was manned by a 20-strong Indonesian crew and 12 are missing. The eight crew who were rescued are recovering well and in the process of being returned home but may need ongoing trauma support.

Our network of 35 crisis responders around the world offers practical and emotional help to negotiate these difficult times and reduce the long-lasting damage these events can cause to seafarer mental health.

Seafarers are referred to the CRN for support through our helplines directly by shipping companies and other seafarers' missions.

A highly effective response programme, the CRN has been operating for more than five years, providing free 24/7 care and support to seafarers, their families, companies and colleagues, following critical incidents such as piracy attacks, accidents and natural disasters, as well as in other times where it's difficult to cope, like bereavement or relationship breakdown.

If you or any one you know needs help:

• Call: +1 938 222 8181
• Instant chat: sailors-society.org/helpline
• Email: [email protected]
• Visit: sailors-society.org/crisis

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