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MARINERS DEPEND ON SCI.

SCI DEPENDS ON YOU.

IN THIS ISSUE – January 2026

• CMA Director Continues Engagement on Laws Affecting Mariners
• Strengthening Maritime Training Through Collaboration in 2025
• Chaplaincy Offers Hope In Difficult Moments
• Being Present for a Seafarer’s Uncertainty
• Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Jim Lawrence
• SCI Featured on Religion Unplugged Podcast
• From the Archives: When Polar Explorers Passed Through Our Doors

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CMA Director Continues Engagement on Laws Affecting Mariners

Phil Schifflin, Esq., Director of SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy, strives to stay abreast of laws that impact mariners, both foreign and domestic. Recently, Phil attended a presentation on U.S. cabotage laws, with a particular focus on the Jones Act where he was asked to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and deliver the invocation at the event. Cabotage—a term derived from the French word caboter, meaning “to sail along the coast”—refers to laws that reserve domestic transportation for a nation’s own vessels and operators.

The presentation was delivered by Mike Hebert of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Jones Act Division of Enforcement (JADE). Mike explained that the Jones Act is the primary cabotage law governing the U.S. maritime industry and outlined why it is vital to national security, the maritime industrial base, and jobs for U.S. mariners. He also discussed how the Act is enforced and some of the ways it is challenged, emphasizing that JADE works diligently to uphold its legislative intent.

The event highlighted the important role cabotage laws play for mariners by both supporting maritime jobs and defining legal protections. The presentation was informative for Phil and provided a valuable opportunity to network with maritime industry representatives who may assist with mariner advocacy efforts.

CME Expands Partnerships and Impact in 2025

Throughout 2025, the Center for Maritime Education continued to collaborate with partners across the U.S. inland and Gulf Coast maritime industry. Mariner enrollment remained steady with training schedules in Paducah, KY, and Houston, TX, fully booked throughout the course of the year.

Across both facilities, CME worked with more than 1,200 mariners in our simulators and provided e-Learning opportunities to 10,230 subscribers. CME contributed to several feasibility studies and remains committed to supporting maritime infrastructure by sharing available data and insights. We are also grateful for the continued partnership with KOTUG of the Netherlands and Maritime Simulator and Resource Centre of Quebec, Canada, Robert Allen Ltd. in British Columbia, and we are pleased to welcome CT Marine of Maine as a new vessel modeling partner in 2025.

Chaplaincy Offers Hope In Difficult Moments

by the Rev. Geoffrey Davis

SCI Chaplain, Ministry on the River, Lower Mississippi & Gulf Coast Region

From the December 2025 Quarterly Activity Report

One of the great aspects of working in the maritime industry, particularly on the inland side, is the abundance of advancement opportunities. As an SCI Chaplain, it is a

tremendous blessing to come alongside mariners, to minister to them during moments of struggle, but also to celebrate their accomplishments with them.

Most people understand the importance of talking with someone when facing difficulties. However, for mariners, who often work long hitches away from home, finding someone to confide in can be difficult. This is especially true if they are uncomfortable sharing personal struggles with shipmates. Sometimes, fellow crew members can be the best source of support, as the closeness built on board can create a meaningful space to talk through issues. But other times, the onboard environment makes it necessary for a mariner to seek help from someone outside of their immediate circle.

This is where SCI MOR Chaplains fill the gap. Our 24/7 availability ensures that there is always someone ready to listen. An example of this involved a mariner who reached out to me after seeing my availability posted online. I make myself available to mariners who may need someone to talk to, and in this mariner’s case, they were facing a crisis that affected both their career and their home life. We began regular conversations that helped the mariner process and navigate these challenges one step at a time.

In this case, the mariner was struggling in a challenging environment. Life onboard a vessel—especially with only a few crew members—can easily narrow one’s perspective, making personal successes and failures feel amplified within that small space. The mariner felt overwhelmed by a situation that seemed, at the time, to be a career-ending

challenge. Through our conversations, we were able to shift the mariner’s focus from the immediate problem to a broader view of the opportunities ahead. This helped him move through the crisis and begin taking positive steps forward. Over time, the mariner would check in occasionally, often just to say hello and share updates about life. Having the ability to reach out, beyond his vessel, and process those struggles made a tremendous difference for this mariner.

More recently, I had the joy of celebrating with this mariner, who had just earned a promotion to what he called his dream job. Witnessing his journey—from a place

of despair to a moment of fulfillment—was profoundly meaningful.

As a Ministry on the River Chaplain, my work is rooted in presence. Since joining SCI, I’ve come to see more clearly how powerful that presence can be in offering hope to

those who may feel they have little to no options. This experience was a beautiful success story, and I’m grateful for it. Not every crisis ends this way, of course, but I am

here to listen, to support, and to remind mariners that there is always hope, even in the hardest situations. Sometimes simply showing up for someone in their moment of need can make all the difference.

Being Present for a Seafarer’s Uncertainty

by the Rev. Dr. Bill Allport

Chaplain, International Seafarers’ Center, Port of New York & New Jersey

From the December 2025 Quarterly Activity Report

Autumn brings notable changes to our Port of New York and New Jersey—changes in the seasons, weather, daylight, and the rhythm of vessels. But beyond these seasonal shifts, there are the ongoing transitions in the personal lives of seafarers that we witness and support.

During one of my visits to the vessels at Port Newark Container Terminal, my work unfolded as expected—waiting for an escort from security, walking from the available space along the quay to reach the MSC Ronit R, a ship with a full crew from India.

After the usual greetings and some basic information shared at the gangway security desk, I was directed to the crew mess. Luckily, my arrival coincided with the crew’s midmorning coffee break. As various crew members came for coffee and a light snack, we chatted. Some bought SIM cards, while others inquired about shore leave and our

transport support. I took the opportunity to ask the standard questions about their experiences, their remaining contracts, their family situations, and their overall well-being—including the quality of the food provisions.

Amid the varied responses, one crew member, Manish, enthusiastically shared, “I finish this month! I go home to be married!”

I responded with joy and congratulations, and the present crew teased him with good-humored jokes concerning the challenges of married life. Laughter filled the room as

questions about his comfort, his familiarity with his fiancée, and jovial marriage advice were exchanged among the crew members.

As the crew returned to work, Manish quietly said to me, “Father, I’m a little scared. I have no one else to talk to. May I ask you a few questions?” After moving to a quieter corner of the messroom, he opened up about his concerns: the major life change ahead, marrying someone he didn’t know well, the challenges of working at sea, and the pressure of becoming a good husband and possibly a father.

Seafarers live lives that are constantly in motion; rarely is there a moment for pause. The work on vessels never stops, but beyond that, the relationships they maintain or support with others also continue to evolve. As humans, we are made for—and long for—relationships that endure, uplift, and offer grace. And, like everyone, seafarers also have

decisions to make that carry more weight as they discern life’s path and make various choices. Like the work onboard, life outside work never lets up.

It was a privilege to be there for Manish in that moment. I’m grateful that SCI meets seafarers and mariners in the midst of their work and lives—in times of crisis, yes, but we can also be present in times of personal uncertainty, during intimate and significant moments in their lives, offering support to both the seafarers and the wider port community.

Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Jim Lawrence

On Wednesday, January 15, the ISC was privileged to host a memorial service honoring beloved and longtime Board member James “Jim” Lawrence.

Family, friends, and colleagues gathered in the chapel to reflect on and celebrate Jim’s profound impact on the maritime industry and his unwavering dedication to improving the lives and working conditions of mariners.

The light and joy he brought to those he touched were reflected in his work and in his devoted service as a trustee of SCI. During the ceremony, a plaque honoring Jim’s memory and legacy was unveiled, which reads as follows:

In loving memory of James "Jim" Lawrence, Dedicated Husband, Father, and Friend. August 12, 1954 - June 1, 2025.

Maritime Industry legend and entrepreneur and esteemed member of the SCI Board of Trustees. In recognition of a lifetime of generous service to the maritime industry."

The plaque will hang in the ISC as a loving reminder of the life and legacy of Jim Lawrence.

Members of the extended Lawrence family gathered at the ISC for Jim Lawrence’s memorial service and the dedication of a plaque in his honor.

SCI Featured on Religion Unplugged Podcast

Seamen’s Church Institute was featured on Religion Unplugged in the podcast episode “Ministering to Mariners.” The conversation underscores the vital role of the maritime shipping industry in sustaining the modern world—and how the millions of mariners who make it possible often go unnoticed.

Drawing on SCI’s nearly 200-year, profound and storied history, the episode highlights how the Institute ensures seafarers and mariners are never invisible, carrying its mission forward through advocacy, chaplaincy, and education that continually evolve to meet the needs of mariners and the maritime community.

Thank you to Matthew Peterson for sharing SCI’s story and helping shine a light on this essential work.

Listen to the episode on Apple or Spotify.

 FROM THE SCI ARCHIVES 

When Polar Explorers Passed Through Our Doors

On January 16, 1909, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s expedition reached the magnetic South Pole after traveling to the Antarctic ice shelf by steamer.

Twenty years later, SCI followed the progress of another polar explorer, Richard Byrd, an American naval officer, who reached Antarctica under sail and then flew to the South Pole.

Regular visitors to SCI were among Byrd’s crew, including sailmaker John “Jake” Jacobsen and others identified on the reverse of this signed Byrd photograph in our collection.

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