No smooth sailing: ‘Utility men’ and manning agencies in the Philippines
by Roderick G Galam ‘If you stayed and worked here, nothing is going to happen to you.' These are the words of 23-year-old utility man, Anton, when speaking about his life chances in the Philippines. He feels stuck and concludes that he
Seafarers’ Welfare in Canada Seminar Montreal
On April 13, 2018, members of the Canadian maritime community gathered at the newly-constructed Montreal Seafarers’ Centre for a one-day seminar on seafarers’ welfare in our country. Addressing more than forty attendees, the panelists represented a diverse cross-section of the
Protecting Migrant Populations from Forced Labor at Sea.
Free COMPASS E-Learning Courses are Now Available! The commercial fishing industry, deemed one of the most important economic sectors in the world, relies on large numbers of migrant workers to flourish. These migrants are frequently recruited from refugee and displaced populations
Never Too Old to Learn: Reconsidering an Old Method in Maritime Ministry
A short time ago, I read Virginia Hoel’s monograph, Faith, Fatherland and the Norwegian Seaman. The work of the Norwegian Seamen’s Mission in Antwerp and the Dutch Ports 1864-1920 (Verloren, 2016). This study provides us with a beautiful insight into the
What does shipping have to do with your faith? More than a little.
A new podcast teaches consumers a lesson in globalization, its promise, and its potential liabilities. Originally published in US Catholic. Most of us devote little thought to ocean-borne shipping. Yet it plays an enormous role in our lives, as around 90 percent of
Book Review: The Remarkable Life of Father Charles McTague
Richard L. Byrnes, Christ with a Priest’s Face: Spirituality in Action: The Remarkable Life of Father Charles Hubert McTague. 2002. 139pp. As the continuous stream of container trucks rumble past, the Stella Maris Chapel on Corbin St. in Port Newark, NJ
Book Review: History of Norwegian Seafarers’ Welfare
Roald Evensen, Terje J. Eriksen and Bjørn Lødøen, Velferden – Historien om States Velferdskontor for Handelsflåten. Sofiemyr: Bjørgu Forlag AS, 2017. 194pp. This is a beautiful pictorial history of the work of the Norwegian Seamen’s Service over the past 70 years.
Social Life on Board 2.0
Social life on a ship is not what it used to be. A complaint that is often heard from crew: "Everyone disappears to his cabin after the watch." Does the Internet separate people from each other on a vessel? Has
Mariners’ House of Montreal Celebrates Grand Re-Opening
Representatives of the Port and supporting communities gathered on November 23 for a ribbon cutting ceremony to officially re-open Mariners’ House, the seafarers centre in the Port of Montreal. Robert Zeagman, President of Seagulf Marine Industries and the Mariners’ House board,
NAMMA Intern Program Invests in the Future
By Michael Skaggs. With generous renewed funding from the ITF Seafarers’ Trust, the North American Maritime Ministry Association facilitated bursaries for ten of its port-based seafarers’ welfare center agency affiliates and its central office to employ seafarers’ welfare interns in the