The Seafarers’ Charity News

Mersey Maritime has announced changes to its senior leadership, with Maritime UK, the umbrella organisation for the UK’s maritime sector, appointing Chris Shirling-Rooke MBE as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Chris Shirling-Rooke will move over from Mersey Maritime to Maritime UK in the early summer and Maritime UK thanks Mersey Maritime for helping to facilitate a seamless transfer. Maritime UK appoints new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Chris is currently serving as the CEO of M...

Maritime UK, the umbrella organisation for the UK’s maritime sector, has appointed Chris Shirling-Rooke MBE as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). He will move over from Mersey Maritime to Maritime UK in the early summer and Maritime UK thanks Mersey Maritime for helping to facilitate a seamless transfer. Chris Shirling-Rooke is currently CEO of Mersey Maritime, a maritime regional cluster organisation based in the Liverpool City Region. In this role, he has championed the importance o...

Launched to coincide with the IMO International Women in Maritime Day, Maritime UK is pleased to introduce a new social media campaign aimed at promoting STEM career opportunities for girls in the maritime industry. The maritime industry is vital to global trade and plays a significant role in the global economy, with an estimated 90% of world trade carried by sea. Within the United Kingdom (UK), the sector supports over 1 million jobs. However, women remain underrepresented in many parts of th...

Maritime UK, the umbrella organisation for the UK’s maritime sector, has appointed Robin Mortimer as its new Chair and Tom Boardley as Vice Chair. Robin Mortimer was nominated by the British Ports Association and UK Major Ports Group, while Tom Boardley was nominated by the UK Chamber of Shipping. New Chair and Vice Chair appointed Maritime UK will be working closely with the UK government on its refresh to the Clean Maritime Plan Currently serving as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)...

The Chair and Trustees of the General Council of The Seafarers’ Charity are pleased to announce the appointment of Deborah Layde as Chief Executive. Deborah is currently Director of Impact at The Seafarers’ Charity and has played an instrumental role in delivering positive change for seafarers. Working with the Senior Leadership Team and Trustees she has moved the charity from a reactive organisation to one which understands the root cause of problems and develops solutions. Excel...

The Seafarers’ Charity has funded a new information film to help fishers meet new MCA inspection standards. In partnership with the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations (NFFO) and supported by the Fishing Industry Safety Group (FISG) the film is aimed at helping all owners to prepare for their MCA inspection following changes to the regulations for fishing vessels under 15 metres. MCA inspection changes The Seafarers’ Charity aims to make working at...

Maritime UK, the umbrella body for the maritime industries, is announcing the appointment of colleagues from across the sector to its Diversity in Maritime Taskforce following the success of Maritime UK Week 2022 (10-16 October). The task force, which oversees the Diversity in Maritime programme, was launched in May 2020, in response to the government’s flagship Maritime 2050 strategy. The programme is focused on ensuring that the future maritime workforce across the shipping, ports, se...

The Chief Executive of The Seafarers' Charity, Deborah Layde, was announced as Chair of the Women in Maritime Network. Deborah Layde was appointed to the role of Chief Executive in July 2022, after successfully leading The Seafarers’ Charity’s grant-making programme for 9 years. Proactive approach She describes herself as passionate about seafarers and Equality, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. She has led the charity’s approach to EEDI which started with est...

The Fishing Industry’s Safety & Health Platform (FISH Platform) is announcing vital new funding as well as a conference for international fishing safety and health taking place in Sri Racha, Thailand on 15 and 16 November 2022. The FISH Platform was formed 10 years ago by the world’s leading fishing safety experts and in September, the Fishing Industry’s Safety & Health Platform Limited was incorporated by Companies House as a not-for-profit organisation to expan...

The Seafarers’ Charity is celebrating the announcement that Robert Greenwood, trustee of the charity, has been awarded the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service. Robert was nominated for the Merchant Navy Medal for his considerable dedication over many years to improving safety and welfare in the fishing industry; one of the most dangerous professions in the world. Extensive knowledge Robert Greenwood has been a trustee for The Seafarers’ Charity for five years. During that...

The Seafarers’ Charity, a significant funder of maritime safety and welfare initiatives, is celebrating Maritime Safety Week (4-8 July) with the launch of a new safety drill competition and is calling on everyone who works at sea to get involved by practicing and improving their crew muster drill. If users are a Marvel at the essential muster drill on the boat, users can enter the competition by posting a photo or video of their best time for their Muster Drill on their social med...

The Seafarers’ Charity is delighted to welcome five new trustees to the charity following the retirement of three trustees who stepped down at the end of their tenure at the charity’s Annual Meeting; two further trustees will retire at 2023’s Annual Meeting. Creative, collaborative, and evidence-based solutions The Seafarers’ Charity is governed by a strong General Council (trustee board) made up of trustees who both set the direction and ensure the charity meets...

Maritime welfare charities are pulling together to publicise the support available to seafarers who have been made redundant, including ex P&O Ferries staff. The Maritime Charities Group Redundancy and Retraining Bursary provides help towards the cost of training to stay in maritime while The Seafarers’ Charity‘s UK Maritime Anchor Fund provides financial help, relationship counselling and mental health and wellbeing support. Taken together this package of measures is helping se...

It was frequently predicted that the UK fishing industry would benefit from Brexit, both in the run-up to the 2016 referendum and the UK’s official departure from the EU. However, industry members have said that the reality has proved to be very different. Their words form the basis of the new report, “Brexit: Voices of the UK Fishing Industry”. A Parliamentary debate Alistair Carmichael MP, Vice Chair of the APPG, suggested that the APPG compile the report following a Parli...

The Seafarers’ Charity has been shocked at the findings of new research published by the University Of Nottingham Rights Lab which reveals evidence of poor treatment and lack of decent working conditions for some migrant workers on UK fishing vessels. The research report 'Letting Exploitation off the Hook? Evidencing Labour Abuses in UK Fishing' has been published this week by the University of Nottingham Rights Lab. The researchers sought out views of fishing crew and heard directly fro...

Two maritime charities have responded to the cost of living crisis with new resources to support UK seafarers. The Seafarers’ Charity in partnership with the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) launched the Safety Net for all UK merchant seafarers at the MNWB Annual Conference in Southampton on 12 May 2022. The new Safety Net website is full of free money management tools and resources specifically to help UK merchant seafarers to manage their money during the current cost of living crisis...

Harland & Wolff is a multisite fabrication company, operating in the maritime and offshore industry through five markets: commercial, cruise and ferry, defence, energy and renewables. Its Belfast yard is one of Europe’s largest heavy engineering facilities, with deep water access, two of Europe’s largest drydocks, ample quayside and vast fabrication halls. As a result of the acquisition of Harland & Wolff (Appledore) in August 2020, the company has been able to capitali...

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) announces the appointment of a new Risk, Safety and Training Lead. The post is partially supported by a three-year grant from The Seafarers’ Charity. The new appointment of Charles Blyth, who has until recently served as a Marine Surveyor with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) aims to assist Federation members maintain the highest safety standards. Chairman of the NFFO’s Risk Safety and Training Committee,...

An energy crisis unlike anything seen in decades is squeezing more out of those who have the least. As the months roll by, the price of turning on lights, cooking food and heating homes, has jumped dramatically. This is a worry many people, but for those who are struggling already it’s a nightmare scenario. Many seafarers put their lives on hold when they leave their families to go off to work. But their worries follow them. While they struggle through harsh living and working conditions,...

Ukrainian seaports are in the frontline of the war. Help port workers and their families, now and through the crisis. The International Association of Ports and Harbors (IAPH) is working with The Seafarers’ Charity to support port workers and their families impacted by the humanitarian disaster caused by the war in Ukraine. Practical financial help Ukrainian seaports are in the frontline of the war, as the siege of Mariupol and heavy fighting around Berdyansk and Kherson has demonstrate...

The Seafarers’ Charity’s Chief Executive Officer, Catherine Spencer will step down on 6 July 2022 to take on a new role outside of the maritime sector. Catherine has led the Charity since July 2019. She has worked with the Senior Leadership Team and General Council to re-energise an effective and efficient organisation, working across the maritime sector to ensure seafarers and their families have access to a wide range of quality support. New strategic plan “Catherine has b...

The Seafarers’ Charity’s UK Maritime Anchor Fund supports working-age UK merchant seafarers. The Fund is open for applications for those impacted by the P&O Ferries redundancies. The Fund will support seafarers through financial help, advice, relationship counselling, and mental health and well-being support and counselling. UK Maritime Anchor Fund The UK Maritime Anchor Fund was created in 2020 with key delivery partner charities to provide an end-to-end package...

The brand-new research project will be carried out by the Seafarers International Research Centre at Cardiff University and will focus on women working on cargo ships. It aims to explore their welfare needs and the extent to which these are currently met. “We recognise that seafaring is a male-dominated industry and that creates an assumption that the welfare needs of women seafarers may be similar to those of men. However, with this new research project, we want to explore that assumptio...

The Seafarers’ Charity has awarded £5,000 to provide a hardship fund, administered by the Fishermen's Mission, for North East fishers, who are experiencing hardship because of the mysterious impact on inshore crab and lobster stocks in North East England coastal waters. Since October 2021 dead crabs and lobsters have been washed up on the North East England shoreline, consequently, many local fishers in the area have had their livelihoods seriously impacted and are experiencing ongo...

The Confidential Human Incident Reporting Programme (CHIRP Maritime) has provided an independent and confidential safety reporting system for incidents, accidents, and near misses at sea to seafarers worldwide since 2013. Raising awareness, improving safety Reports are received directly from seafarers and analysis is published on CHIRP's website and in its Maritime FEEDBACK paper publication in the languages most spoken by seafarers (English, Chinese, Filipino, Indonesian, and sever...

The Seafarers’ Charity is funding a new membership organisation to represent, support, and promote women working in the UK fishing industry. UK Women in Fisheries UK Women in Fisheries is a new network for all women who work in the UK’s fishing industry. Women who are vessel owners, fleet managers, fishers, fishmongers, processors, fishing conservationists, charity workers, trainers, or working in other roles in the fishing industry are invited to join and benefit from networking...

A winner of the UK Port MiFi Christmas Photo Competition has been announced. Julian Wong, a Port Chaplain at Stella Maris, sent a heart-warming photo of a Filipino seafarer on a video call with his children, while on the deck of the Arklow Archer at Ipswich Port. Julian has won £50 in Amazon vouchers, which he’s generously donating to the Filipino seafarer in his winning image, a £250 donation to his chosen charity Stella Marris and a framed photo. Submit and share imag...

The Seafarers’ Charity congratulates their trustee, Natalie Shaw on the announcement that she will receive an MBE. This is an exceptionally well-deserved award. Natalie has a wealth of experience in the maritime sector, including in her current role, as Director of Employment Affairs, at the International Chamber of Shipping. She is a powerful advocate for seafarer safety and well-being. They are thankful to have Natalie as a trustee and delighted by the news that her commitment to seafar...

The Seafarers' Charity reports 50 Vessels join the Fishing First Safety Management Project to improve safety and supply chain transparency. The Seafarers’ Charity reports that the project to develop safety management onboard fishing vessels to the standard of the Fishing Safety Management (FSM) Code is well underway. The new service called Fishing First Safety Management System by SafetyFolder, is being developed to improve safety in the UK fishing fleet and, at the same time, increa...

The Seafarers' Charity, the largest grant-awarding maritime charity, has unveiled its new website, making it easier to apply for grants and explaining the complete network of support provided. The Seafarers’ Charity works with delivery partners to support seafarers across the world, reflecting the global nature of seafaring. Support and care for seafarers Their diverse work over 2020 has included the COVID-19-focused Seafarers International Relief Fund, as well as their continued...