Connecting seafarers worldwide

A global perspective speaks to the unique life of a seafarer

By Peter Rouch

I’ve got to admit it … I’m excited! After nearly 40 years of working life, it’s not often something new comes along that truly stirs that sense of anticipation. But as I write this column for The Sea, I’m glad to say – I’m feeling it!

Tomorrow, I begin a three-week journey visiting some of The Mission to Seafarers’ work across Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines. Many of you may have met our teams in these regions during your time at sea. For me, this will be my first visit to these places, and I’m especially excited to reconnect with someone I met far away from his home – someone we’ll call Ramon.

Ramon isn’t his real name, but I’ll keep it confidential, as we always do at the Mission. I met Ramon in a small, remote port in Brazil. He was working on a bulk carrier transporting powdered bauxite and aluminium bars. As I visited his ship, we chatted about his home, his family, and his plans. He told me he’d be flying home the next day and wouldn’t be continuing with the ship.

I remember the conversation well – perhaps because of a remarkable coincidence. As it turns out, the island in the Philippines where Ramon lives is the exact place I’ll be visiting on this trip. We exchanged numbers and have kept in touch. Now, Ramon and his family will be attending the event I’m going to on his island. I last saw him in a dusty corner of Brazil. Soon, I’ll see him again – this time on his home soil, with his family.

It might sound like a small thing to be excited about, but to me it’s nothing short of extraordinary – something that could only happen in the world of seafaring, and within an organisation like The Mission to Seafarers. To meet someone at the mouth of the Amazon River and then see them again on a small island in the Pacific, 18,000 kilometres away – it speaks to the unique life of the seafarer. And to meet not just the seafarer, but their family too – that’s The Mission to Seafarers for you.

You see, one of the key things we do in the Philippines is run our Family Support Network. While the Mission supports seafarers around the world, the Family Support Network exists to support those who wait at home. It provides relationship and parenting support, life skills and financial training, counselling, mental health awareness and, above all, a place of welcome and understanding.

That’s why I’m visiting the Philippines – not only to see the work first-hand, but to connect with the people it supports. And this time, that includes Ramon and his family. I’m deeply looking forward to it.

Some of you reading this may be far from home right now. Maybe there are times you feel overwhelmed by the scale of the sea, or isolated aboard your ship. Perhaps it seems like the world doesn’t fully see or understand your challenges. But we see you. The Mission to Seafarers is here for you, in ports, through our Family Support Networks, and online via our Happy at Sea app. We’re here to remind you that you are not alone. You are never forgotten.

To all of us at the Mission, this work is a reminder that God never forgets us either. Whether you are aware of His love or not, His care is real – constant, unchanging, and present wherever you are. Whatever the world brings, that care is always, everywhere, and forever.

Peter Rouch is the secretary general of The Mission to Seafarers