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 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 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 MoreStatement Regarding Seafarers Stranded and Under Threat in the Strait of Hormuz The Rev. Mark NestlehuttPresident & Executive Director, The Seamen’s Church Institute The escalating conflict in the Middle East has placed seafarers in an increasingly dangerous and untenable position. Vessels that once planned to transit the Strait of Hormuz are now stranded and under […]
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 […]
Read MoreOn March 5, our Paducah, KY, staff and leadership were delighted to welcome more than 50 community members for a special luncheon. Guests had the opportunity to get to know our team, tour the Center for Maritime Education (CME), and learn more about how SCI programs support and uplift mariners navigating the inland waterways SCI […]
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 MoreThe Rev. Mark Nestlehutt President & Executive Director Global shipping remains the foundation of international commerce, yet the well-being of the workforce behind this vast network—seafarers—appears to be under increasing strain. The Seamen’s Church Institute’s International Seafarers Center has noted a year-to-date decrease in offvessel seafarer transportation, as well as reports of decreases in shore […]
Read MoreSCI’s President and Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, together with members of our CME team, participated in this year’s Kongsberg Global Simulation User Conference in Terschelling, Netherlands, from September 16-18, 2025. The event highlights how advanced simulation solutions can enhance maritime education and training, build competence, support decision-making, and promote more sustainable operations. Over […]
Read MoreThe Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) and Rotterdam-based KOTUG Training & Consultancy (KTC) have renewed their strategic partnership to broaden access to world-class maritime training opportunities for U.S. mariners. Through its Center for Maritime Education—with locations in Paducah, Kentucky, and Houston, Texas—SCI is a national leader in simulation-based maritime training. Under the renewed agreement, SCI will […]
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