by Naomi WalkerManager, Special Projects From the Spring 2023 Lookout Magazine Janet Temchus first learned of the Seamen’s Church Institute when the Rev. Jean Smith, President and Executive Director at the time, came to the Trinity Church in Cranford, NJ to give a talk. In response, the church started a coat drive, because at that […]

Phil Schifflin, the Center for Mariner Advocacy Director, recently attended the National Merchant Mariner Medical Advisory Committee (NMEDMAC) meeting in Piney Point, MD. NMEDMAC has six workgroups focusing on various issues that impact U.S. mariners. Phil has been participating in the efforts of four of the workgroups: 1) Recommendations on Mariner Mental Health; 2) Recommendations […]

SCI’s Center for Maritime Education wrapped the Bolivar Fleet Feasibility Study for Turn Services last month. In this third round of testing for this project, CME focused on industry input from Lonestar Harbor Safety Committee members to further evaluate the challenging environmental and operational conditions. From CME Director, Capt. Stephen Polk: “We looked at factors […]

SCI President and Executive Director, the Rev. Mark Nestlehutt, will deliver this year’s keynote address at the 2023 Inland Marine Expo’s 40 Under 40 awards ceremony. The 40 Under 40 awards recognize those under the age of 40 who have made significant contributions to the inland marine transportation industry and collectively promise to play a […]

The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) hosted Inland and Gulf Maritime leadership for their annual Maritime Training Benefit Luncheon on April 20, 2023, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Houston, Texas. This event, chaired this year by Austin Golding (President and CEO of Golding Barge Line) and Clark Todd (President and CEO of Blessey Marine Services), […]

From The Masthead, March 2023 Facilitated by SCI’s Center for Mariner Advocacy Director Phil Schifflin, the Mariner Wellness Steering Committee is currently comprised of three maritime professionals and one medical professional familiar with the health-related challenges faced by mariners in the inland marine industry. While the committee will eventually focus on a full range of […]

Pastoral Activity Report—March 2023—by Chaplain James Kollin, International Seafarers’ Center, Port Newark. On a recent ship visit, I encountered a crew complaining about problems with the food they were given during their voyage. “We’ve had no vegetables for a month already, and we’re not happy about it,” said one seafarer. “Our officers kept telling us […]

The governing bodies of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labor Organization (ILO) approved creating a Joint Tripartite Working Group (JTWG) to identify and address seafarers’ issues and the human element. The JTWG already has several items on its worklist, including the abandonment of seafarers, sexual assault/sexual harassment in the merchant marine, and criminalization […]