Established by the International Maritime Organization in 2010, this United Nations observance celebrates the dedication, skill and resilience of seafarers, many of whom spend months away from home while working in challenging and often unpredictable conditions.

Across our ports, we were proud to mark the occasion and show our appreciation for the seafarers whose work connects communities, supports economies and keeps everyday life moving.

Celebrating Seafarers’ Day on Board Grand Princess

Yesterday, Dawn and I had the pleasure of visiting the crew aboard the Grand Princess.The visit was especially meaningful as it took place on 25 June, International Seafarers’ Day.

To help celebrate the occasion, Dawn brought some chocolates to share with the crew. When we arrived in the crew mess room, a table had been reserved for us, and as we began setting out Bibles, booklets, books, and clothing, crew members quickly gathered around. It was encouraging to see such interest, especially in the Study Bibles.

One Christian crew member from Kenya asked Dawn to sign several Bibles. He shared that he planned to take them home and give one to his wife, which was a wonderful encouragement to us.

We also met a crew member from China who asked if we had any Chinese Bibles. Although we did not have any available, Dawn was able to give her a Chinese booklet. When Dawn asked her name, she replied, “Grace,” which led to a conversation about the meaning of grace and God’s love.

The chocolates were very popular, and there were many smiles as the crew enjoyed this small gesture of appreciation on Seafarers' Day.

We thank God for the opportunity to spend time with the crew, share His Word, and celebrate Seafarers’ Day together. It was a visit filled with meaningful conversations, warm smiles, and a reminder of how much these hardworking seafarers value being remembered and supported.

John Honore,
Ketchikan Port Chaplain

This week, a number of Indian crew members were very grateful for a lift into Cobh, as well as for the gifts, teddy bears, hats, Christian literature, and Scripture resources I was able to share with them.

One particularly moving encounter was with the bosun, who suffered an accident four months ago and has only recently been able to see a GP in Cork. I prayed with him about the ongoing pain, but at first he felt there was little change. When I prayed again the following day, he was visibly surprised and told me that he could feel healing beginning to take place. He is hoping to have an MRI when he returns home, and we continue to pray for his full recovery.

Another seafarer exclaimed, “It’s my birthday today! Thank you so much for the presents!” It was a pleasure to help make his day a little more special.

The captain of the MV Matthew had requested a trip to the zoo, so we enjoyed a lovely day out together. Afterwards, I took some of the crew to a supermarket to buy bottled water. It reminded me of bringing bottled water to the original crew of the Matthew some time ago—a simple act, but one that highlighted the practical needs many seafarers face.

Thank you for caring for us! One of the crew this week said that when they go ashore they "follow the money". In practice, this means that often only one member of the crew has a debit or credit card, so they all follow him as the rest rely on that person when they need to make purchases. Usually crew only have US dollars and can struggle to find places where they can exchange money. It is one of the many unseen challenges that crews face while in port.

Thank you so much! Even on the hottest day of the year the Filipino crew still put the woolly hats on their heads! I had great opportunities on many ships this week to share God's Word and love with crew as we marked Seafarers' Day.

Click on the photo above to view our appreciation reel of our seafarers' .

Colin Jenkins
Cork Port Chaplain