22 December 2020

How RightShip supported seafarer welfare during the festive season

In this article, RightShip’s marketing manager Hannah Gibney talks about how we choose partners to support during the festive season, and what our activities have contributed to at this particularly difficult time of year. 

The RightShip team is always looking for ways to support seafarer wellbeing and this year that became even more important, with so many vulnerable people working beyond their initial contracts due to limited repatriation opportunities.  

When it comes to selecting groups to work with, we look at the communities surrounding our offices, including Melbourne, London, Houston and Singapore.  We also speak regularly with our operations and vetting teams as they talk directly to people about the immediate challenges that workers face. They play an essential role in helping to decide where funds are directed, especially because many of them have been the beneficiary of these services during their careers at sea and understand the value. 

 

Our 2020 festive season contributions 

 

During the festive season, we chose to work with seafarers’ centres in our local communities – both to show support for those organisations during a challenging year, and to provide goods and resources for seafarers who visit the centres. It’s a nice way to thank them for keeping our industry moving during the festive season, especially when they are separated from their family and friends. 

APAC: We have donated $1000 USD to both the Mission to Seafarers and the Stella Maris Seafarers’ Centre in Melbourne. This contributed to gift boxes & phone recharge cards for seafarers visiting each centre during the festive season. 

Americas: The team allocated $2,000 USD to prepare 200 gift boxes with the intention of distributing them to the seafarers’ centres in and around the Houston area, including the Houston Seamen’s Center, the Galveston Seafarer Center and the Port Arthur Seafarers’ Center.

EMEA: $2,000 USD has been donated to Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest to purchase 100 gift boxes for seafarers visiting the centre during the festive season. 

Volunteering our time 

 

Our teams like to make physical contributions to the centres in our regions, but due to Covid-19, we were limited in our ability to do so. However, a group from our Melbourne team were fortunate to be able to go to the Mission to Seafarers to pack 200 gift bags for the seafarers.  

There were six members of staff on hand, and bags were packed and ready in just over an hour, which is an effort we were quite proud of! Our resident Seeing Eye Dog, Perry, came with us to Mission to Seafarers – he was an instant hit and the subject of many photos. 

According to Sue Dight, CEO at Mission to Seafarers, the team was thrilled to receive a donation towards gift bags for the seafarers who are at sea this Christmas, away from their loved ones. “Even better was an afternoon spent by several members of the team who packed over 200 bags ready for delivery to the ships in port. Support like this shows seafarers they are appreciated for the sacrifices they are making on their extended contracts.” 

 

Sailing away from a difficult year 

 

While we like to provide support where we can all year around, the festive season and new year are particularly difficult for those working at sea.  

Moving forward, we will continuously work towards better safety and welfare standards for our seafaring community and will always be proud to support centres that provide refuge for our seafarers, both during the festive season and throughout the year. We would like to take the time to thank those who have worked tirelessly to deliver these essential services and look forward to working with you again in 2021.  

To learn more about the charities we supported, visit their websites: 

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