The news of the hijacking of a large oil tanker in the Indian Ocean has brought to the attention of the media the vulnerability of seafarers to piracy. Their job already has enough hazards, so the addition of this unwelcome human hazard is particularly severe.
Piracy in this area of the world is not a new phenomenon. I recall coming across it a couple of years ago in the literature of the Apostleship of the Sea, the international Catholic agency that supports people of the sea. This page on their website gives an idea of the difficulties facing seafarers in today's world. Add piracy to this, and you have quite a hard life!
Two years ago I had an opportunity to join a port Chaplain in ship visiting. This literally involves walking onto a ship in port, introducing yourself as visiting from the Apostleship of the Sea ("Stella Maris" - Star of the Sea - must be one of the earliest and most widely recognised international brands!), and talking to crew members who you have never met before. The warmth of welcome we recieved was exceptional. The appreciation seafarers show to the work of ship visiting is quite special. On one visit, a Ukrainian crew member working on a small bulk carrier criss-crossing the English Channel showed as a video of his family, made in his home town of Odessa. Effectively, he gave two strangers the nearest thing he could to a guided tour of his home town, including an introduction to his family. He had made the video to take away with him to remind him of his home.
Often the conversation during a visit to a ship turns around practical issues like phone cards, where can we go if we do get some time on shore (increasingly rare, as even large ships can turn round in port in a matter of hours, and security concerns make it difficult for seafarers to leave their ships). When things go wrong (such as seafarers not being paid), a ship visitor can be a vital source of friendship and support in a tense or confrontational situation.
3 comments:
zero says
Aren't you pleased you didn't take the job as the incidence of piracy escalates?- we might have had to have a whip round in the Parish to secure your safe release!
Zero is referring to the fact that my little stint with the Apostleship of the Sea occurred when I applied for a job as a port chaplain with them. I didn't take the job in the end. I don't think I would have made it as a sea going chaplain any way ... I get sea sick on a car ferry!
Now, hypothetically of course, would the parish consider my release more important than the fixing of the leak in the Church roof? I wonder ...
On a more serious note, perhaps the media coverage of this incident of piracy will draw attention to the plight of seafarers whose ships have been hijacked, or who sail in dangerous waters. The risks they experience are not new, but they are largely unknown.
Zero says
There has been a large legacy left recently...whether it would be spent on a non- regular attender...!
I was thinking just a few minutes ago how it was 10 years ago that i first noticed in the "world news" section of the newspaper about the increase in piracy. Back then it was small vessels but tankers-the pirates are getting very bold. A few weeks ago a naval vessel was sent somewhere as a deterent wasn't it?
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