LONDON, 13 September 2017 – International law firm HFW today announced that its Shipping, Offshore and Logistics Group (HFW Shipping) has chosen The Mission to Seafarers as its first ever global charity partner. Over three years HFW will offer legal, practical and financial support to The Mission to Seafarers to support its essential welfare work with seafarers around the globe.
The partnership between HFW Shipping and the Mission will involve direct practical and legal support as well as an annual financial donation to the charity. HFW Shipping has pledged to offer pro bono legal counsel to support the effective governance of the charity and compliance with local regulations in the regions in which it works. The Mission will also be involved in HFW’s annual global Communities Week later this year.
HFW’s corporate partnership with the Mission to Seafarers will help them to continue their ongoing support of thousands of seafarers around the world every day. This ranges from helping seafarers keep in contact with their friends and families back home up to care and support in crisis situations. In 2016, the Mission visited almost half a million seafarers aboard ships and supported over 1,000 justice and medical cases.
Craig Neame, Global Head of Shipping Group, HFW commented:
“HFW has strong ties to the maritime community with 200 lawyers and 13 Master Mariners specialising in maritime law within our Shipping, Offshore and Logistics Group. The Mission to Seafarers was the clear choice to become the Shipping Group’s first ever global charity partner, given the connection the group felt with the direct welfare and emergency support it delivers to seafarers. We are keen to help the Mission continue its vital outreach work, and to support any relevant legal governance requirements that arise during our three-year partnership.”
The Reverend Canon Andrew Wright, Secretary General, The Mission to Seafarers commented: “We are deeply grateful to HFW’s Shipping Group for naming us as their charity partner. Seafarers continue to face challenging, dangerous and often lonely working conditions, but actions like this commitment by HFW show that the industry does see and value them, and enables us to deliver direct support to them when they need it most. The practical support being offered by HFW will help us to ensure we have stable and effective governance to continue to offer that direct helping hand. We look forward to partnering with HFW on this in the coming years.”
