Pastoral Activity Report—March 2023—by Chaplain James Kollin, International Seafarers’ Center, Port Newark. On a recent ship visit, I encountered a crew complaining about problems with the food they were given during their voyage. “We’ve had no vegetables for a month already, and we’re not happy about it,” said one seafarer. “Our officers kept telling us […]
Read MoreThe governing bodies of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labor Organization (ILO) approved creating a Joint Tripartite Working Group (JTWG) to identify and address seafarers’ issues and the human element. The JTWG already has several items on its worklist, including the abandonment of seafarers, sexual assault/sexual harassment in the merchant marine, and criminalization […]
Read MoreThe Seamen’s Church Institute updates its official name By Mark Nestlehutt – SCI President and Executive Director During our almost 200-year history, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) has operated under various names. We began in 1834 as the Young Men’s Church Missionary Society before focusing our efforts solely on mariners in 1843, which was reflected […]
Read MoreFollowing a comprehensive search process, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) is pleased to announce the selection of the Reverend Christine E. Brunson as its newly appointed maritime Chaplain. Christine will be based at SCI’s Center in the Houston Ship Channel and begins her work on Tuesday, January 17. “We are truly excited to have Christine […]
Read MoreThe Seamen’s Church Institute welcomed the inland river transportation industry for the 22nd Annual River Bell Awards Luncheon on Thursday, December 8, in Paducah, KY. This year’s sold-out event featured Jim Guidry, Executive Vice President of Kirby Marine Transportation Group, receiving the River Bell Award, and Frank Morton, Founder and Director of Turn Services, taking home […]
Read MoreSCI President and Executive Director, The Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, joins Christopher Aversano on The Last Dinosaur, a podcast focusing on digitization in the maritime shipping space. In this episode, Chris and Mark discuss the work SCI does, connectivity, building resilience networks, and Christmas at Sea. Click the play button below to listen.
Read MoreThe Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, President and Executive Director, The Seamen’s Church Institute Last week, the National Weather Service noted the water level in Memphis at negative 10.75 feet—the lowest ever recorded at that mile marker. The Mississippi and Ohio rivers, from top to bottom, are currently experiencing unprecedented low water this year, significantly suppressing the […]
Read MoreIn 2020, during the pandemic, Angel Owens started Maritime Training Online (MTO) in response to a clear need for asynchronous e-learning specifically tailored to the offshore industry—accessible anytime, anywhere. Upon start-up, Mrs. Owens reached out to Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Maritime Education as it seemed to her “a natural choice to look to when […]
Read MoreThe Seamen’s Church Institute’s Christmas at Sea program dates to 1898 when volunteers aligned with SCI began distributing knits to sailors and merchant mariners. More than a hundred years later, Christmas at Sea is going strong, with 20,000-plus handmade items waiting to be delivered to mariners on the inland waterways and Gulf-coast regions and seafarers […]
Read MoreBy Chaplain Michelle McWilliams I was busy selling SIM cards to the deck crew in the ship’s office on the Cosco Philippines. Some seafarers called down to the engine room and reported that three others were interested in buying and would make their way to the deck. After they bought their SIM cards, they started […]
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