Shipping Contributions to Seafarers' Welfare

THE WORK OF SEAFARERS’ welfare is both mundane and deeply significant. NAMMA member centers provide transportation to shopping facilities, a quick ride to the seafarers’center, equipment to call home to speak with friends and loved ones, and a welcom- ing environment in which to relax ashore. Yet more importantly, staff and vol- unteers committed to seafarers’ welfare make sure that mariners feel acknowledged, valued, cared for, and genuinely welcome in the ports at which they call.

 

As NAMMA president Rev. Marsh Drege puts it, "Our chaplains, ship visitors, and volunteers ensure that seafarers know they are seen"

Welfare contributions, however collected, must be weighed against other sources of funding. Indeed this is one of the most significant indicators of the health of a seafarers’welfare center, as many centers face crisis-level funding shortages year after year because of the enormous cost of providing for seafarers’ welfare.

 

"Without some form of systematic support in port environments, seafarers’ centers face a stark future"

What these centers provide, on minimal budgets, is remarkable: they transport seafarers, at no charge, to a variety of locations ashore; they provide communications facilities and equipment; and, most importantly, they offer a warm welcome to seafarers who are grateful for a few hours off ship and the chance to connect with friends and family from whom they have been isolated for quite some time.