Sunday 9th July is ‘Sea Sunday’
It is relatively easy sometimes to be aware of workers and their situations because of our own experiences or those of others we know. When workers feel pushed to the limit and take strike action, we can become particularly conscious of their situations. However, some workers and the expectations placed on them remain completely hidden. One such group are seafarers and fishers. The MCW Review newsletter has on a few occasions highlighted both the difficulties of those who work at sea and the role played by Stella Maris formerly known as the Apostleship of the Sea.
At an MCW European conference I was privileged to be able to be part of a visit to a Stella Maris seafarers’ centre and heard about the work they had to do within the local port. I was reminded of this only a couple of weekends ago when staying overnight at someone’s house. My host has a copy of the Financial Times delivered each Saturday and the FT Weekend Magazine (June 17/18, 2023) had a 5-page feature entitled: ‘The fishermen’. A survival story by Antonia Cundy describes the fate of 4 fishermen from the Philippines; firstly, as workers on the boats and then, once injured or falling sick, their change of circumstances in ports a long way from home. A salient comment within the article is “While British consumers imagine their seafood is caught by a local captain birdseye, much of it is, in fact, fished by low paid migrants employed through an immigration loophole that leaves them vulnerable to exploitation.”
The fishers arrive without being subject to normal immigration controls or protection by being given ‘transit visas’ which gives them a 48-hour period to travel through the UK to join a ship which then can become their place of work and living for the next 8 to 12 months. Cundy notes the reliance on this “largely invisible workforce” of our local fish and chip shops as well as supermarkets. One of the men featured in this article benefited from the intervention of a Stella Maris visitor. Here is noted that Stella Maris the international Catholic charity, “which traditionally works with overseas merchant seafarers, has increased outreach to fishermen in response to the rising number of migrant crew”.
For me it was serendipitous as it reminded me that Sea Sunday is promoted and celebrated at the beginning of July. The Stella Maris newsletter text this year says: ‘Seafarers and fishers play a vital role in all of our lives, but they often work in difficult, hazardous conditions, In the last year, more crews have been abandoned by their employers than ever before. Many are still being denied the right to leave their ships for even a short break away from the relentless noise and pressure onboard. Many are reporting more stress and poorer mental health’. The Stella Maris Appeal Talk includes the following passage ‘In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus say “Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest”. Stella Maris has over 1,000 chaplains and volunteers in ports all over the world, who help seafarers and fishers when they are overburdened and in need of rest.’
A story that will be shared during their appeal relates to a ship arriving at Teesport last year. ‘It had 22 seafarers on board. Two Stella Maris ship visitors conducted a routine visit, taking with them welcome packs and bags of clothing. It transpired that the crew was under huge mental and physical strain. One confided that during the voyage to Teesport from the USA, he had only been getting two hours sleep a night because he was so stressed and overworked. He was also concerned that the crew were no longer able to operate the vessel safely as they were all exhausted. The Stella Maris team contacted the relevant authorities, and a vessel detention notice was served that afternoon. As a result, the seafarers were able to go ashore for the first time in many months and spent time relaxing at the port’s seafarers’ centre. ‘Eleven of the crew were repatriated to the Philippines later that month.’
Please see www.stellamaris.org.uk and https://ig.ft.com/filipino-fishermen re all above
