Paul Atkinson News

The Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) welcomes the repatriation of the stranded crew of the Donald Duckling, a ship detained in the River Tyne for the past seven weeks. The seafarers’ welfare organization has been providing practical support to the crew of the vessel since it was arrested on November 12 last year. Apart from the ship’s captain and its chief engineer, all the crew - including 11 Filipino crewmembers who flew home on the afternoon of January 9 - have now gone back home. “There were mixed emotions.

The challenges faced by seafarers whilst working on board ships has been highlighted in a short film by Harriet Grecian about the work of seafarer welfare organization Apostleship of the Sea. The video offers a candid view of life at sea and how AoS provides pastoral and practical support to seafarers in difficulties. While ship visiting, AoS Tyne port chaplain, Paul Atkinson speaks to crewmembers about their jobs, which often involves eight-hour days, seven days a week and up to a year at sea.