Seafarers Uk News

Inmarsat has formalized a 50% discount for crew voice calling services available for up to 40,000 ships in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on seafarer well-being.The maritime satellite service provider is also ensuring that calls made to the SeafarerHelp service provided by welfare organization ISWAN (International Seafarers’ Welfare Assistance Network) are available free of charge. In addition, Inmarsat is working with crew healthcare specialist Vikand and software platform provider FrontM…

UK Chamber of Shipping said that no deal could limit the opportunities for UK seafarers. A no-deal Brexit would also potentially inconvenience operators of UK-flagged ships, the UK Chamber says.On Thursday, the UK Government published another 28 technical notices, which advise on how potential disruption from a no-deal exit from the European Union can be minimised. The latest batch includes two important shipping-related notices: one on seafarer certification and one on maritime security.The UK Chamber’s immediate concerns are focused on how seafarer employment would be affected by a no-deal Brexit.The technical notice on seafarer certification identifies the basis for seafarer employment in STCW…

Mairéad Ní Cheóinín has been appointed to Seafarers UK as the charity’s new Corporate Fundraising Manager where her focus will be on engaging with the commercial maritime sector. Mairéad brings a wealth of business development, marketing experience and industry knowledge to the position from her previous roles, working with Steamship Mutual P&I, TradeWinds, Informa PLC in London and the Irish Maritime Development Office in Dublin. Mairéad joins the grant-giving, campaigning and fundraising charity at an exciting time, as it celebrates its Centenary and is looking ahead to the next phase of its future. Her role will be to raise awareness of Seafarers UK’s wider impact within the maritime charity sector.

It’s been widely reported over recent years that the maritime industry is facing a workforce crisis. A lack of newly trained candidates to fill the gaps caused by retirement of an aging workforce, now compounded even further by the oil price crash, means marine companies are beginning to feel the pressure of staff shortages. The U.K. Department for Transport (DFT) predicts a shortfall of around 3,500 deck and engineering officers by 2021 in the U.K. alone, and the BIMCO / ICS Manpower Report predicts the global shortfall of 147,500 officers by 2025.

InterManager, the international trade association for in-house and third party ship management, is giving its full support to this week’s Seafarers Awareness Week (20-26 June), co-ordinated by Seafarers UK. “Maritime Jobs for Future Generations” is the theme, aiming to raise awareness of the many career possibilities the maritime world offers young people. The shipping industry employs 1.5 million seafarers worldwide and Seafarers Awareness Week highlights the vital role seafarers play in the global economy. This year’s theme also complements the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) “Day of the Seafarer” (25 June) and World Maritime Day (29 September), which both focuses seafaring as a career and celebrates the role seafarers play globally. Capt.

The Lord Mayor of the City of London, Lord Mountevans, lent his weight to the launch of a new three-year project designed to inspire and engage young people across the U.K. in thinking about a future in marine engineering. It is being led by maritime charity Seafarers UK, in conjunction with its delivery partner Sea Cadets. The launch of the project was announced to more than 150 of Seafarers UK’s supporters and beneficiaries at the charity’s Annual Meeting at Mansion House on Wednesday, June 15.

The Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Progamme (MPHRP) was launched during the height of maritime piracy to provide humanitarian support to the victims of piracy and their families. The programme received funding from several groups, funding which is set to expire at the end of March. The ITF's (International Transport Workers' Federation) Seafarers' Trust, one of the programme's core sponsors, has pledged to continue funding in a statement released today, but has called for the MPHRP to become part of an existing charity by the end of 2015, citing ISWAN as an example of an optimum home for the programme. Trust funding enabled the MPHRP to make a significant contribution to the welfare support of seafarers…

Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society Recognizes Long Service at Annual AGM. Two trustees of one of the U.K.’s oldest maritime charities have been presented with long service awards by Her Royal Highness the Princess Royal in recognition of a combined 60 years supporting the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society. As well as presenting silver framed certificates to Captain Mike Marchant MBE and Captain Anthony David Braithwaite OBE RD RNR, who served the society for 23 years and 37 years respectively the Princess Royal also met with staff…

Four leading charities supporting seafarers and their families are set to benefit from the inaugural London International Shipping Week (LISW), taking place in the U.K. capital this September. Apostleship of The Sea, Mission To Seafarers, Sailors’ Society and Seafarers U.K. have been chosen by the LISW Steering Group to be the beneficiaries of fund-raising efforts during the week-long shipping showcase. London International Shipping Week kicks off with a Charity Golf Day at Walton Heath Golf Club…

Seafarers Awareness Week hopes to raise awareness of the dangerous and vital work seafarers do to keep Britain afloat. This week (25 June-1 July) is Seafarers Awareness Week and the UK’s leading maritime welfare charity Seafarers UK alongside the International Maritime Organisation are asking people to ‘remember a seafarer’ during 2012 – a year which is already shaping up as a huge celebration of what it means to be British. As an ‘island nation’ we absolutely depend on seafarers and the work they do 24/7, 365 days a year. Many have tough working lives, facing the challenges of the sea and rough weather, long periods of isolation and rare opportunities to keep in touch with family and friends. Members of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines put their lives at risk to defend us.

Maritime Organization Claims Smaller Charities are Suffering from Fall in Legacy Giving Ahead of Make a Will Month. Surrey based Maritime charity the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, which provides vital residential, nursing and specialist dementia care to former seafarers, has highlighted the importance of legacy giving ahead of National Make a Will month in November. Legacies are a key income source for UK charities, raising around £2 billion each year. However, trends suggest that the flow of legacies are at risk as budgetary cuts are felt across the country.

A group of veteran seafarers are encouraging youngsters to consider what has become an important but ‘forgotten profession’ as the country prepares to celebrate Merchant Navy Day on September 3. Residents at the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, a Surrey based home which provides dedicated accommodation and care to former seafarers and their dependants, said there is not enough awareness of the important role the Merchant Navy plays in our society among the younger generation.

In the UK, Captain Duncan Glass OBE, chairman of the Royal Alfred Seafarers’ Society, has been awarded the Merchant Navy Medal for exceptional services to navigational safety and to seafarers’ charities. The award focuses on outstanding contribution made to merchant shipping, its operations, development, personnel, welfare or safety, or on those who have performed an act of courage afloat. Captain Duncan Glass was awarded the medal by Admiral Lord West of Spithead at a ceremony attended by many senior figures from across the industry including the minister Mike Penning MP.