IN THIS ISSUE – November 2023 | |
- Seamen's Church Institute Welcomes Port Partners at the International Seafarers' Center
- River Bell Awards Coming Up in December
- CMA Director Phil Schifflin Attends Joint IMO/ILO "Work at Sea" Conference
- CME's Polk and Burson Visit Maritime Simulation and Resource Center in Quebec City
- Chaplain David Shirk Hosted SafeTALK at SCI-Paducah
Photo: Evan Brown
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Thank You To Our Corporate Sponsors | |
SEAMEN’S CHURCH INSTITUTE WELCOMES PORT PARTNERS AT THE INTERNATIONAL SEAFARERS’ CENTER | |
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The Seamen's Church Institute recently hosted its inaugural Port Partners Reception at the International Seafarers' Center in Port Newark. This gathering allowed SCI to acquaint other port agencies with its facilities and Chaplains, emphasizing the services offered by the ISC to seafarers, port workers, and truck drivers.
Capt. Zeita Merchant, Commanding Officer of U.S. Coast Guard Sector New York, and Bethann Rooney, Port Director of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, delivered remarks during the event. As noted by SCI's President and Executive Director, Mark Nestlehutt: "While our work with seafarers in the port of New York dates to 1843, our relationship with the New Jersey ports began in 1960 when we opened our first building here in Port Newark, and SCI's association with the U.S. Coast Guard dates back to the 19th century." His remarks served as a poignant reminder of SCI's longstanding commitment to supporting the maritime community within the Port.
Nestlehutt expressed, "Seeing everyone at this welcoming event was wonderful. Maintaining connections with the numerous agencies operating in the port is important, and we look forward to organizing more of these Port Partner events in the future."
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The Seamen’s Church Institute hosts our 23rd Annual River Bell Awards Luncheon on Thursday, December 7, 2023, at the Paducah-McCracken County Convention & Expo Center from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Join us as we celebrate this incredible maritime community and this year's award recipients.
2023 River Bell Honorees
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River Bell Award
Darin Adrian
President, River Division, Marquette Transportation Company, LLC
River Legend Award
Gerald E. “Jerry” Clower
President, Harbor Towing and Fleeting, LLC
Distinguished Service Award
Rear Admiral Richard Timme
U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.)
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Lifesaving Award
The Crew of the M/V Mike Sanders
American Commercial Barge Line
The Crew of the M/V Mary Ellen Jones
Amherst Madison, Inc.
The Crew of the M/V San D
Parker Towing
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CMA DIRECTOR PHIL SCHIFFLIN ATTENDS JOINT IMO/ILO "WORK AT SEA" CONFERENCE | |
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SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy Director Phil Schifflin recently attended the “Work at Sea” conference, which was jointly hosted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) at the IMO Headquarters building in London. The event was the first time in the history of the two organizations that they conducted a joint high-level conference with both the Secretary-General of the IMO, Mr. Kitack Lim, and the Director-General of the ILO, Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, jointly presiding.
The conference focused on the “human element” in the maritime sector—sharing experiences and views on ensuring the rights of seafarers and fishers, and identifying gaps in the current regulatory framework to improve it going forward. There was universal agreement that it was time for a new “social contract” with seafarers and fishers to improve their well-being and job satisfaction.
The importance of establishing a new “social contract” was highlighted as crucial to counteract the current trend of insufficient recruits entering the maritime career path at sea and the rising number of existing seafarers and fishers opting to leave the profession. The discussion also centered around the imminent and swift transformations expected in the career field, with vessels evolving toward increased autonomy, digitalization, and environmental sustainability. Additionally, there was a recognized necessity for a “just transition” as the maritime workforce is retrained to meet the demands of future vessel operations. The results of the one-day conference will help chart the course for both organizations as they attempt to address these critical issues.
| At the IMO for the IMO/ILO "Work at Sea" Conference. Pictured (from left to right): the Rev. Paul Trathen, Mission to Seafarers; Dirk Obermann, Deutsche Seemannsmission; Phil Schifflin, Director, SCI Center for Mariner Advocacy; and Tim Hill, Stella Maris. | |
CME'S POLK AND BURSON VISIT MARITIME SIMULATION AND RESOURCE CENTER IN QUEBEC CITY | |
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Recently, Center for Maritime Education Director, Capt. Stephen Polk and CME’s e-Learning Manager, Jonathan Burson, were invited to visit the Maritime Simulation and Resource Center in Quebec City. While SCI’s CME and MSRC have already collaborated on a few projects, this visit was a first for Stephen and Jonathan.
“We were impressed with the facility,” said Capt. Polk. “We learned a great deal from our visit, and noted some new ideas we could take back with us to possibly implement ourselves, while also exploring the potential for future partnerships with MSRC.”
MSRC and CME are sister organizations offering common maritime services. Established in 2005, MSRC also focuses on simulation training and providing comprehensive data supporting maritime infrastructure development.
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Below: pictured from Left to Right: Jonathan Burson, CME e-Learning Manager; Capt. Stephen Polk, CME Director; Paul Racicot, MSRC Director; Marie-Eve Lessard, MSRC Instructor; and Simon Rivard, MSRC Instructor | |
SCI CHAPLAIN SHIRK HOSTED SafeTALK AT SCI-PADUCAH | |
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In late October, SCI Chaplain David Shirk hosted a SafeTALK seminar for suicide prevention at our Paducah, KY, campus where we welcomed 16 mariners and shoreside staff from Marquette Transportation.
SafeTALK is a half-day training program (about four hours) designed to raise awareness and equip individuals with the necessary skills to identify and help people who may be having suicidal thoughts. The key focus of this workshop is to create a safety net around intervention providers. By learning to recognize when someone is at risk and connecting them to the support they need, participants become an effective part of the solution, helping to structure a network of caring to impact prevention efforts.
“For some, a loved one lost to suicide can come out of nowhere–they didn’t see or dismissed the signs,” said Chaplain Shirk. "SafeTALK provides the confidence to confront it. To ask the difficult questions and gain essential knowledge and tools that can make a difference in helping those who may be suffering.”
“Mariners are not isolated from the circumstances that lead to depression," he continued. "So, SafeTALK is a valuable and relevant course for those who work in our industry. If we can spare a few hours to educate ourselves on this, it could prevent tragedy down the road.”
Chaplain Shirk is looking to regularly offer SafeTALK Suicide Prevention Training courses to the maritime community in 2024. To schedule or for more information about hosting a seminar in your community, contact Chaplain David Shirk at dshirk@seamenschuch.org or call 270.210.5626.
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Your donations make a difference! | |
On this date in 1959 Captain Ralph E. Cropley died. Cropley entered Harvard with the class of 1906, during which he began a lifelong friendship with upper-classman, boat enthusiast, and future SCI board member, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Cropley dropped out of Harvard after two years and went into banking. But in 1920, he left his position as partner at F.M. Bond & Co. to work as an assistant purser on the United States Lines. In his retirement, he worked at SCI's Maritime Museum (1953-1959) and amassed a notable collection of scrapbooks on ships. | |
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