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Our Voyage - Then and Now

24 Jun, 2022

In 2010, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), designated June 25th as the International Day of the Seafarer as a way to recognize that almost everything that we use in our daily lives has been directly or indirectly affected by sea transport. The purpose of the day is to give thanks to seafarers for their contribution to the world economy and civil society and for the risks and personal costs they bear while on their jobs.

Sailors Society CEO Sara Baade has been reflecting on our own voyage - one that started 204 years ago.

On 25 June, we celebrate the IMO Day of the Seafarer and this year’s theme, 'Your voyage - then and now’, gives seafarers a chance to share their personal story through their journey - from their first voyage to their most recent.

Seafarers are asked to post two photos, one of their first voyage and one of the latest or most recent voyage and tell us what has changed. It’s a chance for a real reflection on what’s altered in the wider maritime world - and what hasn’t.

So, how do we at Sailors’ Society answer the same question posed to seafarers? What’s changed on our voyage, from our first beginnings to the present day? How have we evolved? What have we learnt?

Our ‘first voyage’ photo shows the ‘Ark’, where Sailors’ Society began and seafarers would gather.

This was the world’s first floating chapel founded specifically for seafarers. Moored in the Thames at the London Dock Buoy, it was dedicated in May 1818.

In the 1800s, Europe was embroiled in a war which had left the maritime world in crisis. There was high seafarer unemployment and signs outside some churches even read: ‘No Sailors or Prostitutes.’

Into this world came the Bethel Movement, whose chaplains conducted services and whose distinctive flag bore the symbol of a dove and star, which is still part of our logo today.

But what started as a concern for the religious welfare of seafarers, soon bloomed into wider welfare care and the ‘seamen’s missions’ that are still to be found in ports all over the world today, providing social facilities for visiting crews.

Our ‘current voyage’ photo shows our Sailors’ Society chaplains at work now.

Chaplaincy, with its ship visiting, will always be at the core of what we do. But Covid saw the way we do it change. Our port chaplains continue visiting seafarers – but more often today, with restrictions still in place, they do so on deck, on the ramp or at the quayside.

Ship visiting still proves to be a great help to seafarers even under these restrictive circumstances. Many speak with us about their concerns for their personal situation and their families, and we do what we can to help.

We provide medicine and vitamins, SIM cards and free Wi-Fi units. We receive many requests for socks, a chocolate bar or fast-food takeaway and even reading glasses - things we take for granted ashore, but which are not so easily obtained when confined to a ship.

Covid-19 created a crew change crisis which exacerbated problems for many seafarers around the globe. Sickness, unemployment and bereavement left rising numbers of seafaring families, often from deprived areas of the world, struggling to put food on the table.

In response, we opened a new fund to provide urgent welfare grants for seafarers and their families in desperate need – the Sea Change Fund. The fund, launched with initial funding from the Ince Group Charitable Foundation, provides small emergency payments to seafarers and their dependents matching the grant criteria, to help address immediate needs.

The war in Ukraine meant even greater change, especially for our Black Sea port chaplains. Now they run refugee centres and transport the displaced to the safety of the border. There was no hesitation from these amazing people, just pure dedication to their service.

And, as the wider Sailors’ Society, we didn’t hesitate either.

We launched one of the first maritime emergency appeals for Ukraine and were able to turn emergency grants around in a matter of days. We expanded our peer-to-peer support and crisis response to cater specifically for the needs of Ukrainian and Russian seafarers and those crews working alongside them.

For many years, education has been a focus of our work with seafaring communities. Alongside grants, we also fund courses and boats to get children to the classroom safely. Just last year, we built schools in the Philippines and Myanmar, benefitting more than 1,000 school children.

Wellness and mental health have been at the forefront of our agenda for more than a decade now, with our pioneering Wellness at Sea programme leading the way.

It is crucial to us that we reach as many people as possible with our resources, so we are creating a new e-learning platform which will be free to all. We have also expanded our free 27-week awareness campaign for seafarers to support shore staff and loved ones.

And this year, in an industry first, we are launching four online wellness conferences for maritime school cadets. These events recognise that today's cadets are tomorrow's workforce and future leaders.

Our journey has taken place over more than 200 years and has seen us adapt and change to the needs of those we serve.

And many organisations have been a part of our voyage to date, including The TK Foundation, the Seafarers Charity, Seafarers International Relief Fund, EuroNav, West, Britannia P&I, Nordon, and Garfield Weston to name but a few.

And the future?

We have a superb team and really great welfare services. Our wellness and community programmes are agile and will continue to evolve and grow as the needs of our seafarer communities change. Our chaplaincy team is strong and can deliver the support seafarers want and need. With strong partnerships in place, we can say with confidence that on this voyage we are facing the future together.

This article was published on Linked In on 24/06/2022

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