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Itf Seafarers Trust News

02 Aug 2023

Izmail Seafarers’ Centre in Odesa Hit in Drone Attack

Images courtesy of ITF Seafarers Trust

The ITF Seafarers Trust has reported that the Izmail Seafarers' Centre was hit by a Russian drone attack in the early hours of August 2.The centre, previously funded by the ITF Seafarers Trust, has been housing families made homeless by bombing in other parts of the Odesa, Ukraine. Despite the significant damage done to the building, there were no casualties as resident families and staff working at the 24-hour facility had already taken shelter in the basement.Oleg Grigoryuk…

09 Nov 2020

Report Highlights Regulators' Failure to Protect Seafarers

(Photo: World Maritime University)

Seafarers are left unprotected by systemic failures in the implementation of the regulatory regime for work and rest hours at sea, a newly published report finds.The World Maritime University's (WMU) new report,  "A Culture of Adjustment", by Dr. Raphael Baumler, Yvette deKlerk, Dr. Michael Ekow Manuel and Dr. Laura Carballo Piñeiro confirms previous research that suggested recording malpractices are widespread, which seriously questions the capacity of the current regulatory…

17 Sep 2018

Maritime Welfare Training: More Important than Ever

(Photo: David Rider)

The shipping industry is facing unprecedented change. With topics such as new environmental regulations and the opportunities and challenges of digitalisation dominating the conversation, seafarers’ welfare has tended to be overlooked.This trend is slowly changing as the industry continues to recognize the need to professionalize its approach to maritime welfare, but there is a long way to go. True, that there are model owners and operators within the industry who uphold the highest standards of welfare for their crew…

23 Jun 2017

Abandonment of Seafarers on Agenda

Seafarer abandonment was the subject of a seminar held at  International Maritime Organization (IMO) Headquarters, London (22 June) – a joint IMO-Consular Corps of London event. Diplomats and consular officers involved in dealing with abandonment cases heard speakers provide a variety of perspectives on the subject, including on the legal framework, seafarer support, the representation of seafarers' interests, and the flag State perspective. Click for photos. In his opening remarks, IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim emphasized that continued cooperation between IMO, organizations such as the International Labour Organization (ILO), flag States, port States and shipowner groups was essential. "We have a human duty to protect seafarers, and we must not hide from it" Lim said.

26 Jun 2016

Winners of International Seafarers' Welfare Awards

The winners of ISWAN's International Seafarers' Welfare Awards 2016 were announced on 24th June at a high-profile ceremony held in Manila, the Philippines. The ceremony forms part of ISWAN's celebrations in the Philippines for the IMO Day of the Seafarer. The awards were presented by IMO Secretary General Mr Kitack Lim to seven recipients who have provided exceptional services for the welfare and wellbeing of seafarers. The Welfare Personality of the Year Award is named after Dr Dierk Lindemann who sadly passed away on 17 March 2014. Dr Lindemann served as the Shipowner's Group spokesperson at the ILO and took a lead role in the adoption of the Maritime Labour Convention. Shipping Company of the Year: Masamichi Morooka - Chairman of ICS.

23 Nov 2015

ITF Seafarers’ Trust Launches Shore Leave 2.0

Press release - The ITF Seafarers’ Trust is launching an enhanced version of its free Shore Leave app – the first app designed to help seafarers looking for reliable transport when in port. Shore Leave only needs to be downloaded once, and after that all the contact details of seafarers’ centers all over the world are stored in the user’s smartphone and accessible offline, anywhere, anytime. It also includes all the contact details for ISWAN Seafarers Help, the 24/7 helpline for seafarers. Luca Tommasi, Seafarers’ Trust Project Manager explained: “The idea of the original app was to transform the ISWAN seafarers’ centers directory into an interactive app that could be used offline. The response from seafarers was very positive and the app was downloaded over 10,000 times.

14 Jan 2015

ITF Welcomes New WMU President

Dr Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry (Photo courtesy: WMU)

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) said it has welcomed today’s announcement that Dr. Cleopatra Doumbia-Henry is to be the next president of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Sweden. ITF general secretary Steve Cotton said, “This is great news, not just for the university but also for shipping and seafarers. Cotton added, “This job demands a world of knowledge, and she has it. The ITF is a long-time supporter of the World Maritime University, including financially via its charity arm…

11 Apr 2014

Port of Antwerp wins “Port of the Year” Award

International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN). award on behalf of Antwerp Port Authority at the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva. recognition of the efforts made on a daily basis by the Antwerp port community on behalf of the many seafarers. port of and for people. presentation. skin colour, language or religious conviction. In fact there have been seamen’s missions in Antwerp from as early as 1870. computers, wifi and sports facilities so that they can relax and keep in touch while they are away from home. Hotel opened with budget-friendly accommodation for seafarers. welfare of seafarers. The port of Antwerp is particularly pleased with this second Welfare Award. international logistics chains that bind our city and port to the rest of the world.

27 Nov 2013

ITF Seafarers’ Trust Grants Aid Filipino Mariners

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust, the charity arm of the International Transport Workers” Federation, has authorized two grants totalling GBP100,000 to aid Filipino seafarers and their families affected by Typhoon Haiyan. The grants, for GBP50,000 each are being awarded to the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) and the Philippine Seafarers Union (PSU) to help them deliver emergency relief for seafarers and their families. ITF Seafarers’ Trust chair Dave Heindel commented: “Around 300,000 of the world’s seafarers are from the Philippines, many of them from the worst hit areas. These two grants will allow us to provide targeted help to them.

26 Apr 2013

New Multilingual Medical Assessment Booklet

Photo: ISWAN

The International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) published multilingual questions for the medical assessment and treatment of seafarers. This updated publication assists medical professionals, first officers, port health authorities and welfare workers, among others, with assessing and treating seafarers in emergency and non-emergency situations. The booklet covers a range of medical areas including cardiac events, injuries to different parts of the body and pain relating to specific conditions.

14 Nov 2012

Short List Announced for the 2012 International Seafarers' Welfare Awards

The International Seafarers' Welfare Awards, aimed at show-casing best practice in seafarers' welfare in the maritime industry, will take place on November 28, 2012 at the IMO in London. - Port of the Year: Port of Corpus Christi, USA; Kandla Port, India and Port of Singapore, Singapore. - Seafarer Center of the Year: The Flying Angel Club Fremantle, Australia; Mission to Seafarers Sydney, Australia; Mission to Seafarers Vancouver & Roberts Bank, Canada; Seafarers' House Port Everglades, USA; Seamen's Club Welcome Bremerhaven, Germany. -  Drop-in Center of the Year: The Seafarers' Welcome Center, Chennai; and The International Drop-in Center for Seafarers, Singapore.

21 Mar 2012

Seafarers' Trust Celebrates 30 Years With London Event

The ITF Seafarers’ Trust will celebrate its 30th birthday with a conference in London tomorrow exploring how best to provide for the welfare needs of the world’s seafarers in the 21st century. The event will share the experiences of the welfare community, unions and shipping industry, and explore new ways of helping seafarers. “The Trust has 30 years of experience to draw on and a superb network of people we’ve worked with who are leaders in this field, and many of them will be here tomorrow,” said Tom Holmer, administrative officer of the Seafarers’ Trust. “Legislative, social and technical factors mean that seafarers’ needs are changing, and we have to be ready to change to meet them.

27 Sep 2010

Launch of Seafarers’ Rights Center

IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos welcomed the launch of the Seafarers’ Rights International Centre, an independent forum dedicated to advancing seafarers’ interests, describing it as an important development on World Maritime Day, the theme of which is “2010: Year of the Seafarer”. The new Centre will be located at the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)’s London offices, with initial funding coming from the ITF’s Seafarers’ Trust. An international Advisory Board, currently 10-strong, has already been established and the Centre’s stakeholders will include seafarers, lawyers and other advisers, non-governmental organizations…

16 May 2002

Investing for Academic Excellence

Given the sheer enormity and fluidity of the STCW-95 Code, it became abundantly apparent to MITAGS and to our trustee companies that organizations and mariners would need substantial assistance in complying with the Code. Therefore, we began a complete revision to our curriculum, which meant that we would have to commit substantial resources to assist in this effort. The Global Marine Distress Safety System (GMDSS) was an early example of the issues associated with the implementation of STCW-95 Code. Right from the beginning, MITAGS advocated meaningful GMDSS training curriculum standards. MITAGS understood that, in a distress situation, a mariner's best opportunity for survival would be a complete knowledge of GMDSS procedures.