Lent Appeal 2024

Distressing conditions for crew abandoned for over 32 months in Sri Lanka

“Wow! A truly memorable visit.” So wrote our Middle East and South Asia Regional Director to me. It was a message sent on the day of the visit of our President, HRH The Princess Royal, to our
Centre and team in Columbo. Archdeacon Perry Brohier and his team thoroughly deserved that visit and the affirmation and good will it will have brought. As many of our readers will know, Sri Lanka went through a very difficult period following the pandemic, a time of financial and economic turmoil that led to real hardship and vigorous street protests.

In the midst of it all, however, The Mission to Seafarers in the very important port of Columbo, under the dynamic leadership of Archdeacon Perry, has been through some exciting times of change and development. In the wake of the difficult period of severe COVID restrictions, ship visits are once again being conducted by an extensive team. The welcome and support taken on to the ship by the visitors is echoed by the hospitality offered within the Seafarers Centre. That centre, like so many MtS facilities around the world, is a grand old building with a long and proud history.

Historic it may be, but it still welcomes crews in very significant numbers. Hospitality was provided for crew from 60 ships in December alone. That centre has undergone significant refurbishment in recent months to create a modern and attractive environment. The work has included the installation of a new “family room” where Sri Lankan crew on vessels calling briefly at the port, can comfortably and privately meet for a brief spell with their families—just the sort of creative, forward-looking, and life-affirming idea we are looking for in these changing times. This new facility was opened by HRH as part of her visit.

Sri Lanka, like so many of our teams, has also seen its fair share of real cases of hardship and injustice over the years. Last year, I was pleased to see a passionate note of thanks from the captain of one ship.

“On behalf of my crew and myself from the arrested vessel, thank you so much for your hospitality in taking good care of us when we were in desperate need of provisions when the Marshal of the High Court stopped supplying us.”

In October 2019, this ship got into trouble in the Indian Ocean and was towed into Columbo. Its owners declared bankruptcy, and the ship was abandoned. Three years later, in 2022, seven of the original crew of seventeen were still on board. Then tragedy struck. On 29 March, the cook on the vessel was descending the badly corroded gangway ladder to go ashore after remaining onboard for over two years during the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. He slipped and fell into the harbour. When the body floated to the surface some 15 minutes later, he had drowned. When local authorities stopped providing basic necessities, the Mission team stepped in, using our Samaritan Fund to provide basic provisions such as rice, flour, vegetables, eggs and spices, toiletries, and
SIM Cards.

In 2023, the long and painful wait to go home finally ended, when the remaining 5 crew members were given permission to leave Colombo by the Commercial High Court of Colombo, after the vessel was auctioned for the second time. The Mission still sees too many of these “abandonment” cases around the world. Always we provide pastoral care. Wherever necessary, as in Columbo, we provide emergency response: food, water, fuel, and other essential supplies. Beyond that, we work with port authorities, shipping companies, flag states, and the International Transport Workers’ Federation with the aim of supporting the best possible pathway to a swift resolution.

Try and place yourselves in the shoes of those seafarers. Days and weeks can easily turn into months and years, as in this case. Picture yourself stranded on a ship in the tropics, grappling with inadequate supplies of food, water, and fuel to power generators for electricity to run essential amenities like air conditioning and a functional kitchen onboard. The lack of any wages, the feeling of isolation, insecurity, uncertainty, and difficulty contacting their families and loved ones can lead to the most acute stress.

In this letter, I seek your support for our Lent appeal. In Lent, we may choose some minor discipline to give up or take on. Abandoned crews really know about true sacrifice, and I have met many of them over the years. Their need for our support in easing and ending suffering is especially urgent. The Mission to Seafarers in Columbo is representative of so much of our work across 50 countries. Like so many of our teams, with your help, they are transforming the lives of these incredible men and women every day of the year. Sometimes, in the quiet day-to-day, bread and butter work. Sometimes by addressing truly terrible and dramatic situations.

This Lent, we seek your continued help. For it, we remain profoundly grateful.

The Revd. Canon Andrew Wright

Secretary General, The Mission to Seafarers