 Working Together Plymouth, England
 Pressure
to maximise ship use and leave port quickly means little
time for seafarers to attend to personal needs. When a
disappointed crew had to leave port, the AOS international
network worked together to help.
AOS lay chaplain Louise Carter first visited the ship in
the port of Plymouth, England. She reports that the ship was
in good condition. However the crew, who came from Russia,
Ukraine, the Philippines and Cap Verde, were miserable. The
second mate explained that their washing machine had broken.
They had waited two months for a replacement which had
arrived that day. But their shipping company had not bought
them a new washing machine. Instead they sent an old one
which broke even before the seafarers could wash their
clothes.
Seafarers work long shifts and their activities can be
physically demanding. A supply of clean clothes is a simple
but very important need. Washing clothes by hand is time
consuming and less efficient than using a washing machine.
Naturally the crew was very disappointed that their
employers had not attended to their need.
The crew had another reason to be disappointed: their
television no longer worked. Seafarers spend long periods on
the high seas. Watching television can help them to feel
less isolated. It is a vital source of news of the outside
world and one of the few ways of relaxing available onboard
ship. Although the ship was due to sail the next day, Louise
was determined to do something to help the seafarers.
That evening, Louise made many phonecalls to contacts
asking if anyone could donate a television to the seafarers.
She was invited to inspect three televisions but found that
they were not good quality. Very disappointed, Louise
returned to the ship the next morning to tell the seafarers
that she had not been able to find a television for them.
They appreciated her efforts and said goodbye. The ship set
sail for Hamburg.
Louise contacted AOS lay chaplain Sebastian Fiebig in the
port of Hamburg and explained the situation. A few days
later, the ship arrived in Hamburg. Sebastian made a special
visit to the ship and asked to speak to the second mate. The
second mate was very surprised when Sebastian said “I hear
you need a new television”.
His surprise became delight when Sebastian added “I have
two in my minibus for you”.
The televisions were donated by members of Sebastian’s
parish. As it was Sunday, the gate was closed and it was not
possible to bring the minibus into the port. So the
seafarers had to carry the televisions all the way to the
ship.
However, in order to use the televisions, a new coaxial
lead was needed. There was not time to acquire it in Hamburg
as the ship had to leave and return to England, this time to
one of the ports on the River Medway. Sebastian contacted
the AOS port chaplain to the Medway ports, Deacon Daniel
Mulcahy. Daniel visited the ship when it arrived in England
and gave the crew a new coaxial lead.
Now the crew can relax and watch television together.
They know that wherever they travel, the AOS chaplaincy
teams will always do their best to help. Sadly, their
shipping company is less attentive to the needs of the
seafarers it employs. However we are pleased to report that,
while the ship was in Hamburg, the company finally arranged
for the washing machine to be repaired. |