Working With the Inland Maritime Industry to Find Solutions to Mariner Well-being In this The Waterways Journal article, Phil Schifflin, Esq. Director of SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy, outlines how the Seamen’s Church Institute is moving from identifying challenges facing inland mariners to developing practical, collaborative solutions. Building on the U.S. Inland Mariner Wellness Assessment […]
Read MoreFrom 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 MoreThe assessment, released in January of this year, identified five broad categories of stressors affecting inland mariners: demanding work environments, organizational pressures, cultural barriers surrounding mental health, physical health concerns, and psychological challenges such as isolation and depression. Together, these factors contribute to issues ranging from fatigue and chronic health conditions to lower morale and […]
Read MoreBy the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt President & Executive Director he Seamen’s Church Institute has led mariner education and training since the early 1900s and has prepared maritime chaplains to serve seafarers since the mid-19th century. In 1982, SCI took a decisive step forward by formalizing its advocacy work through the establishment of the Center for Seafarers’ […]
Read MoreAt a recent session at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), maritime welfare leaders delivered a clear message: seafarers need more than regulation—they need real, human support. Hosted by the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA), the discussion highlighted the critical role of welfare organizations working directly with seafarers in ports around the world. While international frameworks […]
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 MoreWe are pleased to share that Noah Falk of Tulane Law School has been selected as the Center for Mariner Advocacy’s (CMA) summer intern for 2026. Noah will be the thirty-first intern to serve in this capacity, continuing a longstanding partnership between the Seamen’s Church Institute and Tulane Law School that began in 1993. This […]
Read MoreWhile some staff were in Connecticut attending the CMA-Shipping Conference, SCI was also represented at Marine Log’s Tugs, Towboats & Barges Conference in Mobile, Alabama, on March 10–11, a premier event dedicated specifically to the inland maritime market. Communications Director Evan Brown attended on behalf of SCI at this key inland maritime conference. “With the […]
Read MoreThe Connecticut Maritime Association (CMA) Shipping Conference, held March 10–12, 2026, continues to serve as an essential forum for the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) to engage with global maritime leaders and to champion the rights and welfare of seafarers. On the opening day of the conference, SCI’s President & Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, joined […]
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