by JEFF DRANE
Seafarers in Tauranga asked the local Stella Maris ship visitor, Deacon John Limrick, to help them as they had no more food on board. By the time they arrived in Tauranga, the larder was empty. Their shipping company said they could buy food, but not for more than $500. They needed $700 worth to reach the next destination. So, Deacon Limrick bought all that they required and got the Seafarers Welfare Board to pay the extra $200. In April, he bought $16,644 worth of shopping for all crews. Each month, he buys gifts for their families, like vitamins for partners and clothing for their children, and medical and PPE requirements for themselves.
Our interfaith organisation, The Seafarers Welfare Board of Aotearoa New Zealand, along with Maritime NZ, Maritime Unions of NZ, local port authorities and shipping agents, now reach out collaboratively to help seafarers during the pandemic.
The New Zealand Government’s response has been unique as a coordinated response due to the circumstances seafarers are in when they arrive here. The world’s 1.65 million seafarers cannot land, nor can they return home even if they wanted to. They are scared to go home, as they are not likely to be rehired.
Since their home state cannot trace their contacts in the countries they visited, they cannot leave their ship, or they will not see their families back home. As they travel between one sovereign state and another, they have to be at least two weeks at sea to qualify for leaving the ship here in a New Zealand port, but it does not take that long between Asian ports or Australia, so they do not qualify there either. Access to vaccines is a long way off for them. The health and safety of the New Zealand communities, of those caring for seafarers and the welfare of the seafarers themselves, are all at stake during Covid.
This year The Seafarers Welfare Board of Aotearoa New Zealand is the first in the world to receive Government funding. Now it employs paid workers to visit seafarers. It also became the official advocate for seafarer welfare rights, and was the main body to liaise with government agencies to maintain border safety. Ship visitors, like Deacon Limrick in Tauranga, have to be professionally-trained and provided with proper PPE equipment. Ship visitors must be limited in number, and be easily traceable and present fortnightly to local DHBs for testing.
Port Authorities and Maritime NZ are now mandated by the Government to work more closely with our faith-based organisations. This has always been difficult, as ports viewed themselves for decades as only providing transport of imports and exports, and not having responsibility for the welfare of foreign seafarers. Now this has all changed. The New Zealand Government signed the Maritime Labour Convention in 2016; article 4.4 has always said governments must care for seafarers’ welfare. But this year Covid made it happen.
If you feel compassion for seafarers and fishers, and would like to help in this work, please pray for us on Sea Sunday, July 11, 2021, or call the Stella Maris national director to discuss how you can help on 027 492 0250, or you may like to support us with a small donation by simple Internet Banking : Account Number: 06 0582 0083650 00 Account Name: Apostleship of the Sea Inc.
Please make sure to email us [[email protected]] to send you a receipt. To make a donation by credit card, please contact the same email and a form can be emailed back to you.
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