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MARINERS DEPEND ON SCI &

SCI DEPENDS ON YOU...

IN THIS ISSUE – February 2024

• Registration is Now Open for the Maritime Training Benefit Luncheon
• SCI Joins Global Organizations in Advocating for the Release of the Galaxy Leader Seafarers
• CME Sees 2023 Growth in Mariner Simulator Training and Online Learning
• Mark Nestlehutt and Phil Schifflin Join CMA Shipping Conference Speaker Panels
• SCI Named Recipient for TVIB's Mike Rushing Service Award Donation
• International Seafarers' Center Updates Entryway Trailboard

Photo: David Rider (davidrider.photoshelter.com)

Thank You To Our Corporate Sponsors

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17

11:00 am: Registration 

11:30 – 1:00 pm: Luncheon

Join us for the Maritime Training Benefit Luncheon in Houston as we gather to celebrate excellence within the industry and to support SCI's mission-driven initiatives.

For more information on this event or to participate as a sponsor, contact MTBL@seamenschurch.org or call 202-719-8057.



SCI JOINS GLOBAL ORGANIZATIONS IN ADVOCATING FOR THE RELEASE OF THE GALAXY LEADER SEAFARERS

With a sense of horror, many of us watched the October 19, 2023, video footage showing the helicopter assault by Houthi rebels as they hijacked the vehicle-carrier vessel Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea and detained its twenty-five-member crew. This attack has attracted considerable global attention and concern. Phil Schifflin, Director of SCI's Center for Mariner Advocacy, has participated in calls about the ongoing challenges in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, where he regularly advocates for the seafarers impacted by this crisis, including these detained seafarers. Phil noted that international organizations like the International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), and International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) are all working for the seafarers' safe release. Phil continues to look for additional opportunities to advocate for the release of these detained seafarers, including at an upcoming IMO meeting that he will be attending in London.

CME SEES 2023 GROWTH IN MARINER SIMULATOR TRAINING AND ONLINE LEARNING

As part of SCI's mission focus, the Center for Maritime Education is dedicated to training mariners and optimizing mariner safety. SCI is pleased to report that CME experienced noteworthy growth in mariner training between 2022 and 2023. While the adoption of the cutting-edge K-Sim operating system posed initial challenges early in 2023, causing a slight impact on training days in Houston, CME quickly got back on track with a combined effort of both centers that resulted in the training of over 1,262 mariners. This marked a 13% increase compared to 2022 figures. Additionally, CME's e-Learning platform showed continuous expansion, with a 9.5% rise in mariners—representing 37 companies—utilizing our learning management system.

In addition to mariner training, CME remains dedicated to enhancing navigational and vessel operational safety. In the year 2023, CME actively contributed to three feasibility studies for companies and agencies along the Texas Gulf Coast.

MARK NESTLEHUTT AND PHIL SCHIFFLIN JOIN CMA SHIPPING SPEAKER CONFERENCE PANELS

Billed as North America’s most influential gathering of maritime professionals, particularly in regard to international shipping, the Connecticut Maritime Association's annual exposition and conference is set to take place on March 12–14, 2024, in Stamford, Connecticut. Once again, SCI experts will be featured on panels discussing trends pertaining to the “human element” of maritime. 

On the first day, Phil Schifflin, Esq., Director of SCI’s Center of Mariner Advocacy, will join an esteemed State of the Industry Panel for “Status Check on the Maritime Industry in 2040.” SCI President and Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, will also be joining a panel on the conference’s second day to discuss “Digitization and the Seafarer of the Future.”

Nestlehutt notes, “While we're recognized for our chaplaincy and advocacy efforts with mariners and seafarers, SCI is also part of an engaged global network of seafarer wellness organizations. This connection keeps us in tune with the current trends, issues, and challenges affecting those working on vessels. Participating in the CMA Shipping Conferences gives us the opportunity to connect with fellow maritime representatives and industry leaders, allowing us to share our concerns and perspectives."

The Rev. Mark Nestlehutt

SCI–President & Executive Director

Phil Schifflin, Jr. Esq.

SCI–Director, Center for Mariner Advocacy

SCI NAMED RECIPIENT FOR TVIB’S MIKE RUSHING SERVICE AWARD DONATION

The Seamen’s Church Institute is honored to be associated with the Towing Vessel Inspection Bureau’s (TVIB) Mike Rushing Legacy Service Award. The award was established in the Spring of 2023 to celebrate Mike Rushing, a river legend known for his quiet dedication to serving others within the maritime community and the community at large. It will honor an individual in the towboat, tugboat, and barge industry in recognition of their outstanding contributions and commitment to community service, professional excellence, and mentorship. Nominations are being accepted until March 15. The winner will be recognized at this year’s Waterways Journal Inland Marine Expo, and a financial contribution will be made during the program in the recipient’s honor to support the Seamen’s Church Institute’s Ministry on the River program. For the full press release, click here. For more information on this award, follow this link.

INTERNATIONAL SEAFARERS' CENTER UPDATES ENTRYWAY TRAILBOARD

Although referred to as the International Seafarers' Center, our Port Newark facility is formally named after John J. McMullen—known for his expertise in naval architecture and marine engineering, as well as his business ventures, including ownership of shipping agent Norton Lilly International, and his previous ownership of the New Jersey Devils and the Houston Astros. Also of note, the entrance to the ISC bears the name of Malcolm McLean, a prominent American entrepreneur renowned for founding Sea-Land Services and inventing the intermodal shipping container—an innovation that dramatically transformed the shipping industry and global trade. Recently, the weathered trailboard at the ISC's entrance, commemorating McLean and his groundbreaking company, underwent much-needed restoration.

Your donations make a difference!

 FROM THE SCI ARCHIVES 

On this day in 1898, the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana Harbor, sparking the Spanish-American War. In response, to support American seafarers involved in that conflict, the program now known as Christmas at Sea was established. Since then, SCI has worked tirelessly throughout the year to provide comfort to seafarers and inland mariners with handmade items like ditty bags, scarves, hats, and vests during the holiday season.

In this photograph from the 1960s, hand-knit and crocheted goods destined for seafarers are being loaded onto a truck at 25 South Street for distribution.

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