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Chart & Compass 2018
LOOKING TO THE
FUTURE The sea is the life blood of the world’s economy. But for those who work there, it can be a cruel taskmaster. The adventure of life as a seafarer can come at a cost: storms, piracy and isolation through months away from home. Sailors’ Society has been bringing people together to offer seafarers care and support for 200 years. The charity was formed in 1818 to help the growing numbers of unemployed and desperate seafarers.
We set up the world’s first place of sanctuary and worship solely for sailors, a floating chapel moored on the Thames known as the Ark. Over the next 100 years Sailors’ Society provided much spiritual support and comfort for all seafarers that needed our help. In 1914, our chaplain Robert Melville made the ultimate sacrifice to care for sick seafarers in a World War 1 internment camp. He helped them write letters home and ran countless errands of mercy in the camp hospital, where he contracted the virus that sadly killed him.
STUART RIVERS CEO, Sailors’ Society
Sailors’ Society chaplains have always cared for seafarers and their families in times of desperate need. In 1987, our chaplain in Dover, Bill McCrea, faced one of the 20th Century’s worst maritime disasters – the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise, with the loss of 193 lives. He consoled the devastated families and held funerals during the difficult weeks and months that followed. Every year since then, Sailors’ Society has brought the families and survivors of that terrible night together in a service to remember those they lost.
Recently, we set up crisis response networks to help survivors of pirate attacks or other traumas at sea, supporting them through emotional reunions with their loved ones. And we bring seafaring communities in need together to transform their lives by building new homes, classrooms, school boats and medical centres. THE FUTURE…. Technology offers us huge opportunities to keep seafarers connected with their families across the world, giving them Wi-Fi access and phone cards to speak to their loved ones.
Digital will be the primary enabler to increasing our global reach and positioning ourselves as the leading maritime charity, which is able to provide excellent support away from home, wherever our beneficiaries may be.
Our commercial innovation will get us to a place where we can say hand on heart 100 per cent of donations made by our supporters go to our work supporting seafarers.
It is important we grow our innovative programme work and give seafarers and their families the knowledge that Sailors’ Society is only a click – or an AI assistant command – away.
We want to advocate for seafarers, campaign on what matters to the industry and be seen as an investment for corporates and philanthropists and the CSR partner of choice across the industry.
In becoming accessible to beneficiaries, supporters and media around the clock, Sailors’ Society will become the go to people for seafarer welfare.
The tools we are using may be new, but our mission remains the same as it was 200 years ago: providing hope, offering care and bringing people together. Thank you for your continued support.
Contents
4 6 8 10 12 14 CARING IN A CRISIS
CHAPLAINS’ MEMORIES
CHANGING LIVES
WHAT TO DO IN A CRISIS
Published by: Sailors’ Society, Seafarer House, 74 St Annes Road, Woolston, Southampton, SO19 9FF Tel: +44 (0)23 8051 5950 Email: press@sailors-society.org
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RAMMED BY A WHALE
PUZZLES
INTERNATIONAL SAILORS’ SOCIETIES CANADA Secretariat: Chamber of Shipping, Suite 100, 1111 West Hastings Street, Vancouver BC, V6E 2J3, Canada
NEW ZEALAND National Secretary: Larry Robbins OBE RNZN (RTD) 42 Knights Road, Rothesay Bay, Auckland 1311, New Zealand
SOUTHERN AFRICA Principal Chaplain: Revd J D (Boet) Van Schalkwyk Suite No. 6, Second Floor, Westville Centre, 52 Norfolk Terrace, South Africa
Registered Charity No. 237778 A company limited by guarantee Registered in England No. 86942 Patron: Her Majesty the Queen
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Chart & Compass 2018
200 years of
caring in crisis S
ailors’ Society chaplains and ship visitors support seafarers who are stranded thousands of miles away from their loved ones.
As they travel around the world, seafarers can find themselves in terrible trouble because of the actions of unscrupulous ship owners or fellow crew. They can be made prisoners on board the ship when its owners deliberately abandon them – leaving them stranded in a foreign port without the means to return home. Or they can fall foul of local laws and end up in jail, sometimes through no fault of their own. Sailors’ Society is working with a number of seafarers and their families whose lives have been devastated by abandonment or imprisonment.
The charity’s regional superintendent in India, Joseph Chacko, gave financial support to Janet and other crew members’ families who were struggling to survive without their partners’ salaries, and spoke to Rajesh regularly to give him comfort and advice.
“Some of my crew were sick,” said Rajesh. “There was no proper food. We used to collect rainwater – we would filter it three times with the help of a cloth and boil it three times. After it got cold we would keep it in the freezer, because if we drank it directly we couldn’t take the smell.
It was several months before Rajesh’s ship owner finally paid for him to return home, but Rajesh and Janet said Sailors’ Society’s support kept them going during that dark time.
“The crew were very panicked. They used to ask me to help because I am the captain, but I wasn’t able to do anything because I didn’t get any response from the company.”
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SAILORS’ SOCIETY HELPED ME WHEN I WAS HELPLESS
Like Captain Rajesh Goli and his crew, who were not paid for several months and were then abandoned five miles off the coast of the UAE in late 2016. The ship had run out of fuel and the owner refused to negotiate permission for them to go into port, leaving them stranded.
Sailors’ Society found out about the case when Rajesh’s wife Janet, from Mumbai, started tweeting about their plight.
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Captain Rajesh and his wife Janet
“When I was helpless, when I was in a panic, they helped me,” said Rajesh. “We feel like Sailors’ Society is a family to us.” Inspired by the support Pastor Joseph gave his family, Rajesh applied to work for Sailors’ Society as a chaplain and will now support seafarers visiting his home port of Mumbai.
Sailors’ Society has paid tribute to Pastor Joseph Chacko and his wife Leena following their tragic death in a traffic collision in February 2018, and has pledged to carry on his vision for improving seafarers’ welfare in India and beyond. Pastor Joseph, who led Sailors’ Society’s team of seven chaplains in India, had a huge impact not only on the lives of Rajesh and Janet, but also those of many other seafarers. A trailblazer in seafarer welfare, he was instrumental in the foundation of the Deendayal Seafarers’ Centre in 2012, which he described as “a heaven for seafarers”. He set up ear and eye
testing within the centre, helping hundreds of seafarers by identifying medical issues before they became potentially career threatening. In 2016, he was nominated for the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network’s (ISWAN) Dr Dierk Lindemann Welfare Personality of the Year, for his outstanding contribution to seafarers’ welfare. Stuart Rivers, Sailors’ Society’s CEO, said: “Joseph was a true friend to seafarers and a champion of improving their health and well-being. “He worked tirelessly to better seafarers’ welfare and we are committed to continuing this.”
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Chart & Compass 2018
“One seafarer was anxious to call home, his wife was heavily pregnant and he was desperate to talk to her. I gave him access to our Wi-Fi and when he called her he got a huge surprise as she had given birth. They had a long chat and he saw his baby for the first time; both he and his wife were so thankful.”
“This trading ship was made up of seafarers from many nationalities and an Indonesian chief officer asked me to bring a Chinese Bible for a crew member who was going on leave. The whole crew were happy when, on the day of their colleague’s departure, they were able to present him with a Bible.”
Regina Borges de Paula Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
David Millar Auckland, New Zealand
“I gave practical and pastoral support to the crew of an abandoned ship. They had felt alone and unsure of their future and appreciated having someone there who cared. It meant so much to them.”
“I visit ships every day and give seafarers useful information about local facilities and access to the internet. It is wonderful to help make them happy by connecting them with their family.”
Pauline Robertson Leith, Scotland
Lucie Ranoromalala Toamasina, Madagascar
“I was visiting a tanker when I saw a Filipino seafarer wearing a dirty bandage round his wrist. I encouraged him to accompany me and seek first aid. I learned later that he had been transported to hospital, where his injury was treated enabling him to rejoin his ship.”
“Every month I transport more than 100 seafarers who want to spend time out of the port. In some cases, they’ve not been ashore for three months and are really happy just to be on dry land. Their joy reminds us of their sacrifices in doing their jobs and the importance of our ministry.”
Edward Symmons Fawley, England
Frans Sahetapy Tilbury, England
“I conducted a sea burial for seafarers lost in an accident at sea and am grateful that I could be there to help the grieving family members in their time of need.”
“The friendship you get back when visiting seafarers is awesome. I get so much seeing them, hospitality, openness and trust – it is an amazing feeling.”
David See Singapore
Alexander Eberson Zeebrugge, Belgium
200 years of bringing people together Some of our chaplains share their memories from the port
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Chart & Compass 2018
200 years of
changing lives When illness or redundancy strikes, life can easily plunge into a downward spiral. And in a country like Madagascar, where more than 80 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, this can mean utter destitution for whole families. Former seafarer Vohita Arsene lost his job after suffering a heart attack while working in the engine room of a ship. His doctor told him that he would have to stop working at sea because his heart would not be able to cope.
The news was a severe blow to Vohita and his family, not just financially – Vohita was the main breadwinner – but also psychologically. Working on board a ship was his whole life and he found not being able to return to sea difficult to accept. His next job, as a shopkeeper in a garage, ended when the garage closed. He inherited a piece of land and built a house there, but disaster struck yet again when the house burnt down.
Sailors’ Society has cared for Vohita and his family during their time of need. The charity has provided a package of support, including grants for his children’s school kits and training to help his wife Augustine, who has taken over the mantle as the family’s breadwinner, earning £5 a week as a seamstress.
Sailors’ Society runs two projects that are transforming lives for seafarers and their families like Vohita. The Reintegration of Seafarers Project aims to help ex-seafarers to get back to work within the shipping industry or, if they are retired or unable to return to sea like Vohita, to use their skills and experience locally.
They are slowly getting back on their feet.
The project offers practical support, like grants or help with filling in forms – but also emotional and spiritual support through a prayer group and a monthly lunch, where more than 20 exseafarers, their wives and
“If Sailors’ Society had not been here, I would have fallen,” said Vohita.
children come along to discuss ideas for how the Society’s different groups can help them and exchange advice on finding a job and getting back on board ship. The Wives and Children of Seafarers Project supports wives of seafarers and exseafarers to better manage the family budget, and their children by offering English classes and other activities to help them make friends and learn skills. Find out more about Sailors’ Society’s global projects by visiting www.sailors-society. org/ourprojects
“If Sailors’ Society had not been here, I would have fallen.” 8
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Chart & Compass 2018
what to do
Of the 450 piracy survivors surveyed:
in a crisis Sailors’ Society’s Crisis Response Network supports those affected by traumatic events at sea. With hubs in Africa, Asia and Europe, the network is able to offer support to seafarers and their family members through its trained chaplains.
In many countries, a career at sea remains an attractive prospect, however, it is still one of the most dangerous. Seafarers face a difficult working environment, isolation and a variety of stressors.
Alexander Dimitrevich is a clinical psychologist and Sailors’ Society’s Crisis Response Network co-ordinator Europe.
The Crisis Response Network has helped abandoned, imprisoned and kidnapped seafarers, while also supporting their relatives back home. Occasionally, Sailors’ Society chaplains have to administer bereavement counselling as they break life-changing news to families. They use a holistic approach, which can include humanitarian, psychological and spiritual support and every case presents a unique challenge. After almost four years of imprisonment, the Seaman Guard Ohio crew was released. Sailors’ Society was able to support and reunite families affected by this emotionally overwhelming event.
25%
26%
58%
87%
100%
were injured
saw a colleague killed
were beaten
were threatened with execution
suffered abuse in captivity
Whether PTSD symptoms are from piracy or an accident, seafarers carry these feelings with them.
NETWORK
Around 80 per cent of trauma survivors who receive support are coping well. One of the roles of the Crisis Response Network is to raise mental health awareness within the maritime industry
Research shows that untreated PTSD leads to poor workplace performance and that prior training in coping mechanisms can reduce the impact of traumatic incidents. A well as supporting seafarers and their families Sailors’ Society helps companies
train their crews to understand the risks and behavioural impacts, improving their bottom line in terms of their efficiency or effectiveness, safety and well-being. The Society’s Wellness at Sea coaching programme includes self and situational awareness tips, coping techniques, psychological first aid, conflict management and suicide prevention.
Piracy and armed robberies remain major threats to seafarers’ well-being. Seafarers caught up in piracy and hostage situations may be assaulted, shot at and even witness colleagues being killed. There is growing research that highlights the longlasting effects that these sort of traumatic incidents have on mental health.
NETWORK
I was part of an international research team led by Ocean Beyond Piracy’s Conor Seyle, which investigated how common post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms are in seafarers who have been taken hostage by pirates, compared to those not exposed to piracy. More than 450 seafarers from the Philippines, Ukraine and India – nations which supply much of the maritime workforce – took part in the survey, which found that more than a quarter of former hostages had lasting symptoms consistent with PTSD.
Sailors’ Society’s Crisis Response Network provides a rapid response trauma care and counselling service for survivors of piracy attacks as well as various disasters at sea. Email: crisis@sailors-society.org
Non-hostages had a four per cent chance of symptoms.
REGIONAL CONTACTS: AFRICA Rev J.D. van Schalkwyk: 00 2731 266 0695
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and highlight how invisible injuries can be just as hard to cope with as physical ones.
ASIA Gavin Lim: 0065 9222 4600
EUROPE Alexander Dimitrevitch: 00380 5033 66790
INDIA Manoj Joy: 0091 9884 140950
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Chart & Compass 2018
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Suddenly the whale made a dash for ship, charging full tilt and striking the vessel so hard amidships it killed itself.
e l a h W a y b d e m m a R Since earliest times mankind has enjoyed a fractious relationship with the whale, the world’s largest marine mammal, and the ancient folklore of many cultures abounds with myths and legends about whales and whaling. There are countless stories of whales that hit back and take down ships or sailors, but the first reliably recorded instances of ship strikes date back to the 19th century – most famously the sinking of the whaler Essex in 1820, some 2,000 miles off the Pacific coast of South America. Only eight of her 21-man crew made it home and their three-month fight for survival is thought to have inspired Herman Melville’s literary classic Moby Dick. The pages of Chart & Compass record another such strike on 28 September 1904 in which the Danish whaling schooner Anna was wrecked and abandoned in the North Sea after a bruising encounter with a huge sperm whale.
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Twenty days out to sea on a voyage from Iceland to New Brunswick its crew spotted a whale spouting some distance away. As the whale drew closer it seemed to be circling angrily then, as the Anna sailed past, it lashed the sea with its tail. Suddenly the whale made a dash for ship, charging full tilt and striking the vessel so hard amidships it killed itself. The Anna was holed below the waterline and as her crew began pumping and baling furiously the whale carcass rose to the surface revealing two massive gashes in its head and side. After 39 hours of pumping the order was given to abandon the Anna and although a lifeboat was readied, the liner SS Quernmore – rescued the crew.
More recently, in 1972 the Robertson family were 17 months into a round-the-world trip aboard their 43-footer Lucette when it was struck by a pod of orcas forcing the family into a life raft and dinghy. They survived for 38 days on turtle meat and blood before being rescued by a Japanese fishing trawler. Perhaps the best known incident of recent times though is one from 2010 that was caught on camera in which a 40-ton southern right whale jumped into a yacht off the coast of Cape Town, slammed down on deck and broke the mast in half before sliding back into the water.
200 Stories from the Sea, a special anniversary publication of stories taken from the Chart and Compass archives, is available to buy now at www.sailors-society.org. All profits from the book’s sales go to Sailors’ Society’s work.
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puzzles Sudoku - Easy
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Some of my best childhood memories are summer days spent on the beach in Cornwall
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