“‘You are the only people who ask us how we are,’ a chief engineer said to me recently,” says Peter Morgan, Stella Maris Regional Port Chaplain for Cardiff, Newport, Sharpness, and Bristol. Stella Maris (formerly known as Apostleship of the Sea) is the maritime agency of the Catholic church.
Being a seafarer today is an increasingly dangerous occupation.
In the Red Sea, seafarers face the threat of Houthi missiles, drone attacks and raiding parties. Since last November, Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant ships.
And once vessels enter the Black Sea the danger levels remain high, with the collapse of a “grain corridor” agreement in July 2023 heightening the tension. Russian drone and missile attacks on the strategically vital Ukrainian port of Odesa occur regularly, with devastating consequences.
“My colleague in Ukraine recently spoke to a seafarer who watched a deadly drone fly right past his ship and felt the after-shocks from a nearby explosion,” says Peter. “When seafarers are so close to war, it’s no wonder they feel stressed.
“I’ve been a Stella Maris chaplain for eight years and never have I seen so much fear and anxiety among seafarers. It’s alarming to think of the danger seafarers face these days.
“Just under a year ago, a car carrier called Galaxy Leader was hijacked in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels from Yemen. Armed raiders flew in by helicopter and boarded the vessel. More alarmingly, ships are now being attacked with missiles and drones.
“Can you imagine how terrifying it must be? Twenty-five crew members from the Galaxy Leader are still being held captive, even today. I met seafarers from a sister Galaxy ship recently and they showed me videos on their phones of the attack. ‘We’re scared,’ they told me. ‘We are just crew, why does this happen to us?’ It was heart-breaking to see their helplessness and distress.”
Few of us probably ever think about seafarers. Yet it’s thanks to them that we have so many of the goods we rely on each day. Around 90% of UK imports come by ship. This includes everything from cars and computers to fridges and fuel. And much of the food we buy in our local supermarket has arrived on a ship.
It’s not only in the Red Sea or Black Sea where seafarers face danger and violence. According to the International Maritime Bureau, 60 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were recorded in the first half of 2024 around the world. Of the incidents reported, 46 vessels were boarded, eight reported attempted attacks, four were hijacked and two were fired upon. Perpetrators successfully boarded 85% of targeted vessels.
Violence towards crew members continues, with 85 taken hostage compared to 36 in the same period last year, 11 kidnapped and two threatened. Guns and knives were reported in 34 of the 59 incidents, a worrying increase from the same period last year.
Stella Maris port chaplains and volunteer ship visitors play a vital role in supporting seafarers and fishers when they arrive in a port. This can be anything from providing mobile phone top-up cards, warm clothing in the winter, transport to local shops, or arranging for a priest to celebrate Mass on a ship.
But providing emotional, pastoral and spiritual support can be just as important as practical help, points out Peter. “Anxious seafarers need a friend in port. Someone to listen to their worries, offer practical support, provide reassurance and care. Someone who’ll be there, month in, month out. As port chaplains, that’s what we try to do.”
To find out more about Stella Maris’ work, or to make a donation to its Harvest Appeal to support seafarers and fishers working in an increasingly dangerous and hostile world, go to www.stellamaris.org.uk/harvest