{View as Webpage}

MARINERS DEPEND ON SCI.

SCI DEPENDS ON YOU.

IN THIS ISSUE – February 2025

• Maritime Bell Luncheon 2025—March 27, 2025
• International Seafarers' Center Reaches More Seafarers in 2024
• 47th Annual Silver Bell Awards Dinner—June 12, 2025
• Thank You, Chaplain David Shirk
• Remembering Chaplain Associate Howard "Doc" Whitaker
• SCI Mountain Challenge–September 25-28
• CME Paducah Runs Study for Proposed Cairo Port Terminal
• CME Welcomes Capt. Jim Ferguson
• The Knit Before Christmas, Winter 2025
• CMA Director Phil Schifflin Part of U.S. Delegation at IMO Meeting
• From the Archives: Canine Greeter

Above: SCI Chaplain, the Rev. James Kollin (left), and ISC Director Matt Morse, Esq., (right) meet with a seafarer in Port Newark. January 2025. Photo: David Rider—davidrider.photoshelter.com.

THANK YOU TO OUR CORPORATE SPONSORS

JOIN US IN HOUSTON

SCI is thrilled to welcome the maritime community to Houston for the Maritime Bell Luncheon on Thursday, March 27, 2025. At this event we will honor John Roberts, CEO of Ingram Marine Group, with the Maritime Bell Award, and Scott Glatter, Training Specialist for Kirby Inland Marine, LLC, with the Outstanding Trainer Award. Click the button below to register and learn more about the event.

International Seafarers' Center Reaches More Seafarers in 2024

The International Seafarers' Center (ISC) reports a significant increase in key visitation metrics for seafarers in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The number of seafarers visited rose from 10,179 in 2023 to 14,029 in 2024, while vessel visits increased from 1,770 to 2,301. This growth can be attributed to a fully staffed and engaged ISC team as well as the purposeful, continued expansion of ISC chaplain outreach, reaching seafarers in locations as far north as Yonkers, east to Red Hook and the Bronx, and south to Perth Amboy.

ISC Director Matthew Morse, Esq., highlighted the significance of these increases, stating, “We are encouraged to see these numbers grow. They reflect the admirable efforts of the ISC’s remarkable staff and chaplains and our collective efforts in expanding outreach and strengthening connections across the entire port. That said, numerical growth cannot be the only metric by which the ISC is measured – we must ensure that the quality of our visitations and outreach keeps pace with the quantity. This is a key area of focus for the ISC in 2025.”

Morse also noted that seafarer transports increased by 3,488 from 2023 to 2024, and visits to the ISC by seafarers, port workers, and truckers remained robust from 2023 to 2024, with approximately 24,500 individuals hosted, reaffirming its continued importance as a place of respite for the port community. Morse concluded: “We serve our seafarers even more effectively when we are supported by, and supportive of, our port community. I believe the ISC’s performance in 2024 helps illustrate this.”

SAVE THE DATE

Join us for the 47th Annual Silver Bell Awards Dinner as we celebrate the maritime community and honor Christopher J. Wiernicki, Chairman and CEO of the American Bureau of Shipping. Click below for more details and to register for the event.

Thank you Chaplain David Shirk

The Seamen's Church Institute bids farewell to the Rev. David Shirk, who has stepped down from his role as Chaplain, Ministry on the River for the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River Region. He will be joining his wife, Bonny Shirk, in Okinawa, Japan. Bonny has recently been ordained and commissioned as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve and has been assigned to active duty as a chaplain. 

Reflecting on his time at SCI, David expressed deep gratitude for the opportunity to serve the maritime community, describing it as a humbling and fulfilling experience. SCI acknowledges his invaluable contributions in pastoral care, leadership, and teaching. SCI extends its best wishes to David, Bonny, and their family, as they embark on this new journey together.

Remembering Chaplain Associate Howard "Doc" Whitaker

SCI was saddened to learn of the passing of Chaplain Associate, the Rev. Dr. Howard (Doc) Whitaker, who passed away in January while in hospice care after a battle with leukemia. Whitaker joined SCI in 2021 after being recruited by the Rev. Kempton Baldridge and was an active presence in the maritime community. He contributed to mariner wellness discussions at the GICA Conference in New Orleans and the IMX Conference in Nashville and engaged directly with mariners along the Tenn-Tom, Black Warrior, and Alabama waterways. SCI extends its deepest condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues during this time. His tribute wall can be found online here, and a full obituary here.

The Rev. Dr. Howard "Doc" Whitaker (left) meeting with mariners from Parker Towing in Tuscaloosa, AL—Summer 2022.

CME-Paducah Runs Study for Proposed Cairo Port Terminal

The Center for Maritime Education (CME) in Paducah recently hosted representatives from the Alexander-Cairo Port District and the engineering firm BFW/Marcum to conduct feasibility studies for a proposed port terminal on the western side of Cairo, IL, along the Mississippi River. Approved for construction in 2020, this state-of-the-art, multi-modal terminal will better facilitate the transport of grain, coal, and liquid products.

The goal of CME's feasibility studies is to create hyper-accurate maritime simulations by integrating existing marine environment data and the engineering group's project specifications. In addition, simulation also introduce additional weather and current conditions. For this study, mariners from Ingram Barge, ACBL, and Marquette Transportation ran simulations through the proposed project site. The collected data, along with mariner feedback, was compiled into a comprehensive report and provided to the port and engineering team to support informed decision-making as the project progresses toward the construction phase.

See a video of the simulation on LinkedIN – LINK

CME Welcomes Capt. Jim Ferguson

CME–Paducah is pleased to welcome Captain Jim Ferguson as an Instructor. With over 15 years of experience in the maritime industry, Capt. Ferguson began his career as a deckhand and worked his way up to the pilothouse, operating on western rivers and Gulf Intracoastal waterways. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard License for Master of Towing (Inland-Great Lakes and Western Rivers) and a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and Organizational Leadership. His expertise and leadership will be a valuable addition to the CME team.

CMA Director, Phil Schifflin, (fourth from the left) joined the US Delegation at the IMO Sub-Committee on Human element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW), 11th Session, February 10–14, 2025.

CMA Director Phil Schifflin part of U.S. Delegation at IMO meeting

SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy (CMA) Director, Phil Schifflin, Esq., attended the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Human Elements, Training, and Watchkeeping (HTW) sub-committee meeting in London from February 10-14, serving as an expert advisor on mariner issues for the U.S. delegation. During the meeting, he participated in a working group focused on a comprehensive review of the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). This process will span multiple years and significantly influence mariner training for years to come.

At this review stage, the group worked to identify existing gaps in the STCW. Several areas of particular interest to CMA were highlighted, including Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment (SASH), Psychological Safety, Mental Health, Women’s Health, Risks of Falls from Height, and Enclosed Space Entry. These critical issues directly impact mariner safety and well-being but are insufficiently addressed in the current STCW framework. The group then established a multi-year work plan outlining the steps for completing the review process during future IMO meetings.

CMA is dedicated to protecting seafarers' rights, safety, and well-being through legal support, seafarers' rights training, and policy guidance (as was the case with this IMO meeting). CMA works in partnership with global and domestic maritime organizations to address complex challenges, promote fair treatment, and improve working conditions for seafarers and mariners.

 FROM THE SCI ARCHIVES 

Seventy-five years ago, The Lookout republished the following item from The Mast accompanied by this Thomas Fulshaw photo:

CANINE "GREETER"

"'Blackie' is a real sea dog, and she swims efficiently and frequently. Her 'home port' is New York, the Holland-American Line pier at Fifth Street, and she jumps into the North River and swims out to greet incoming liners. As the dog comes alongside a tugboat bringing the liner into her pier, a seaman pulls her on board. On a few occasions, the tide has carried the dog downriver, and 'Sparky' Marinus de Korne, harbormaster for the Dutch ships, has had to go after her. As the tugs dock the big vessel, Blackie shakes the water from her coat and supervises the docking operation. Blackie, who is fed by the doting longshoremen and stevedores, rules with an iron paw the sixty-odd cats that keep a check on the rodent population on the pier."

SCI's CORPORATE SPONSORS

Sustaining Sponsors

Supporting Sponsors

In-Kind Sponsor

Engage in the Conversation

If you received this newsletter as a forwarded email from a friend or colleague or regularly receive our emails and would like a complimentary subscription to our print magazines, please click on the button below to complete an online subscription form.