From left to right: Chaplain Michelle DePooter, Montreal Ministry to Seafarers; Simon Grainge, Chief Executive, ISWAN; the Ven. Dr. Peter Rouch, Secretary General, the Mission to Seafarers; Phil Schifflin, Esq., Director of SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy, participate in a panel discussion about advancing advocacy for seafarers on the second day of the NAMMA Annual […]
Read MoreBy Philip C. Schifflin, Esq. Director, Center for Mariner Advocacy At the Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Mariner Advocacy, one of our missions is to help ensure that the human aspect of shipping is never overlooked amid geopolitical tensions, commercial pressures, or regulatory complexities. We best accomplish this mission when we work collaboratively with other interested parties such […]
Read MoreSCI’s President & Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, is in Sweden this week teaching on the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) at the International Christian Maritime Association’s annual Introduction to Seafarers’ Welfare and Maritime Ministry training hosted this year by the Malmö Seafarers’ Center. This course serves as training for maritime chaplains, ship […]
Read Moreby Phil Schifflin, Esq. — Director, Center for Mariner Advocacy, The Seamen’s Church Institute In late February, I had the opportunity to represent the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) at the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) Subcommittee meeting, held February 23–27 in London. As Director of the Center for Mariner Advocacy at the Seamen’s Church Institute […]
Read MoreIn mid-January, SCI’s President and Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, traveled to Hong Kong to attend a meeting of the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) Charity Trustees. The gathering was held alongside the ICMA East and South-East Asia Regional Meeting and centered on the theme, “Overcoming Challenges.” Chaplains and seafarer welfare providers from across […]
Read MoreFrom October 6 to 9, 2025, maritime ministry leaders from around the world convened in the vibrant port city of Barcelona, Spain, for the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) World Conference. Hosted locally by Stella Maris Barcelona, this unique gathering brought together approximately 250 participants dedicated to serving seafarers, fishers, and their families. Held only […]
Read MoreSCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy (CMA) Director, Phil Schifflin, Esq., attended the Fifth Meeting of the Special Tripartite Committee established under the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC, 2006) at the ILO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland from April 7-11, 2025. Representing SCI as a member of the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) Delegation, Schifflin was one of […]
Read MoreYesterday marked the opening of the “Joint ILO–IMO Tripartite Working Group to Identify and Address Seafarers’ Issues and the Human Element” in Geneva, Switzerland. This is the third meeting of this particular ILO (International Labour Organization) and IMO (International Maritime Organization) group, and it is dedicated to discussing and developing guidelines for the fair treatment […]
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