At SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy (CMA), we regularly engage in discussions focused on mariner health and safety. Recently, the U.S. Coast Guard commissioned the National Academies of Sciences (NAS) to study the role of alcohol use in the maritime industry and its impact on related incidents. In response, NAS initiated a study titled “Prevention, […]
Read MorePhil Schifflin, Jr., Esq. Director, Center for Mariner Advocacy Recently, the Center for Mariner Advocacy has been frequently assisting U.S. Coast Guard personnel who encounter mariners in problematic situations aboard foreign-flagged vessels. Although our advocacy work has mainly involved blue-water and brown-water mariners, my predecessor, Doug Stevenson, and I have previously assisted and trained Coast […]
Read MoreOn June 13, 2024, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) welcomed maritime leaders and supporters for its 46th Annual Silver Bell Awards Dinner in New York. This year, the event honored John C. Hadjipateras, Chairman, CEO, and President of Dorian LPG Ltd., with the Silver Bell Award, and Bethann Rooney, Director, Port Department at The Port Authority […]
Read MoreCenter for Mariner Advocacy Director Phil Schifflin reports from the Recent IMO Sub-Committee Meeting. The tenth session of the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) Human Element, Training and Watchkeeping (HTW) Sub-Committee met in a hybrid format in London from Feb 5-9, 2024. This meeting was most heavily focused on training-related issues, with the goal of ensuring […]
Read MoreSCI joins the international maritime community in advocating for the release of the Galaxy Reader Crew—Read the full International Chamber of Shipping statement here: Shipping industry calls for release of Galaxy Leader crew still held captive. With a sense of horror, many of us watched the October 19, 2023, video footage showing the helicopter assault by Houthi […]
Read More• SCI-Port of New York and New Jersey • Throughout 2023, the International Seafarers’ Center in Port Newark continued to have a significant impact on the port community. While noting a slight decline in vessel visits—which can be attributed to the ISC operating with one fewer full-time chaplain than usual for most of the year—SCI […]
Read MoreSCI President and Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, joined Tim Tregle on “Between the Levees,” a podcast focused on the living histories of maritime industry personnel in all areas of the business. In this episode, they “discuss the history of SCI from its origins in New York Harbor in 1834 to what it has […]
Read MoreSCI Chaplains regularly interact with mariners in the inland marine industry. Through these interactions, it became clear that mariner wellness was an issue impacting many of these mariners. In order to help address this issue, SCI hosted a roundtable in Paducah, KY in July of 2021. Over twenty people attended, representing a broad cross-section of […]
Read MoreAt the IMO for the IMO/ILO “Work at Sea” Conference. Pictured (from left to right): the Rev. Paul Trathen, Mission to Seafarers; Dirk Obermann, Deutsche Seemannsmission; Phil Schifflin, Director, SCI Center for Mariner Advocacy; and Tim Hill, Stella Maris. SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy Director Phil Schifflin recently attended the “Work at Sea” conference, which […]
Read MoreIn the ever-evolving world of maritime ministry and seafarer welfare, staying informed and legally aware is crucial for chaplains and those dedicated to supporting the well-being of seafarers. Phil Schifflin, Esq., Director of the Seamen’s Church Institute’s Center for Mariner Advocacy, recently addressed chaplains and other seafarer welfare workers at the North American Maritime Ministry […]
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