News

July 18, 2023 Recently SCI Chaplain James Kollin visited with the crew of the Grande Costa D’Avorio (the ship that caught fire on July 5) at a hotel in Port Newark to deliver last-ordered items and met with Washington, DC-based Philippine Labor Attaché (PLA). “They invited me to their meeting, and I witnessed their interaction, […]

by The Rev. Mark NestlehuttSCI President and Executive Director From the Spring 2023 Lookout magazine Most of us are familiar with Apple iOS, Google Android, and Microsoft Windows. These are the operating systems that run our smartphones, tablets, notebooks, and desktop computers. Similarly, the universe of simulator-based maritime education has its own operating systems and […]

by Phil Schifflin, Esq.Director, Center for Mariner Advocacy From the Lookout, Spring 2023 Abandonment of seafarers has been a plague upon the shipping industry for years, and has recently seen a significant uptick in reported cases. It occurs when, for a variety of reasons, a shipowner neglects their responsibility to their crews, denying them the […]

From the Spring 2023 Lookout Chaplain Christine Brunson, an Episcopal priest and former counselor with experience working with veterans and trauma responders, joined SCI in January 2023. Christine is based at SCI-Houston and focuses her work on the Houston Ship Channeland Gulf Coast region. How did you come to find the job with SCI, and […]

by Evan BrownDirector, Communications From Spring 2023 Lookout Magazine “I remember doing a study one time, back in 2015 I believe, and things just weren’t going right. Every run was a failure. Every run was unsuccessful, unsafe, stressful, and difficult. The guys kept hitting the bridge piers; every run was a bridge strike.” When SCI’s […]

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 […]