There is no maritime safety without good welfare for those who work at sea
By Peter Rouch
When Arsenio Dominguez, secretary-general to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) spoke at their World Maritime Day Reception on September 26, it was to remind those assembled about the importance of safety. The future may be one of change and opportunity for the world of international shipping, but safety is important as we move forwards.
The sculpture pictured here was then illuminated with blue light and, much to my own appreciation, Arsenio directed our eyes to the figure of the seafarer standing on the prow of the ship. There is, he noted, no such thing as maritime safety, without safety and good welfare for seafarers.
This connection between the lives and conditions of the world’s seafarers and the safety and sustainability of the shipping industry itself was one I heard made once again recently. That is partly because it is a link I made myself when addressing a conference of 500 or more senior figures in different branches of our industry. More importantly, however, it is a link
that has begun to be made by others also. Multiple speakers from shipping businesses across that two-day conference raised the matter of the welfare and conditions of service for seafarers. The future of the shipping industry depends upon the world’s seafarers, they said, and urged that this should be everyone’s concern.
I hope that for seafarers and those with personal experience of seafaring who are reading this issue of The Sea magazine, what I write is at some level encouraging. Many of my colleagues who have worked for the wellbeing of seafarers for far longer than me have, over many years, attended many such conferences where seafarers have hardly been mentioned … unless, of course, The Mission to Seafarers happened to be speaking and has raised it.
Any sense of encouragement must, of course, be measured, because finally what is needed is actions rather more than great words. Hopefully, the service offered by organisations such as the Mission is evidence that change is indeed possible. Hopefully also, the care that seafarers can offer to each other onboard, the friendship and teamwork, are evidence of seafarers’ own ability to invest in their own wellbeing.
Yet, like a change in the breeze that tugs at your overalls when a weather change is coming, maybe the words are important. Maybe they, like such a breeze at sea, indicate that change is coming. We must pray that it is so.
Peter Rouch is the secretary general of The Mission to Seafarers.
Dear Lord God,
We remember now the needs of all who serve upon the sea.
We pray that the wellbeing of people of the sea
may lodge firmly in the heart of every person whose decisions impact their lives, and in the policies of every business that profits by the sea.
May hopefully words become meaningful actions, and so create a better world for all.
Be with each seafarer this day,
in friendship aboard, in teamwork and shared support,
may seafarers themselves be part of the change that they and others long to see.
Amen
