This is a text-only version of an article first published on Tuesday, 21 May 2019. Information shown on this page may no longer be current.
THE trauma of pirate attacks, shipwrecks and being stranded thousands of miles from home are among the risks faced by seafarers every day. Those who work on merchant ships often face up to a year living in a confined space, away from their loved ones, as they work to import 90 per cent of the goods that we enjoy in our daily lives. Join in Sea Sunday
Andrew chatting aboard a ship.
Mission to Seafarers As we approach Sea Sunday (9 July) the Mission to Seafarers is encouraging churches to get involved to help those whose livelihoods come from a far from idyllic life on the ocean. The secretary general of the Mission, the Revd Andrew Wright, is an Oxford based priest and former chaplain of the city's St Edward's School.
He moved from there to becoming Director of Operations at the Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen, taking up his current post in 2013. The Mission to Seafarers is a mission agency with links across the Anglican Communion, working in 200 ports across the world.
Andrew oversees its eight regions, each of which has its own regional director.
"I travel to a great deal of regional conferences, visit ports and I'm responsible for ensuring a sense of unity across our regions," says Andrew, who was preparing for a trip to South Africa when he spoke to the Door. "We seek to help seafarers communicate with their families.
We lay on transport services and provide post trauma care after the death of a crew member.
All our chaplains are trained in post trauma response and mental health awareness to enable them to deal with extreme crises. Crewmen jailed in India"There are cases of abandonment, when a ship owner goes bankrupt, leaving crew in a harbour or anchored with no food and water.
We deal with seafarers in prison.
We are dealing with a dramatic case at the moment where a ship strayed into Indian waters. "That ship was the MV Seaman Guard Ohio and Indian police claimed it was carrying illegal weapons without permission.
Despite providing all weapons certification and the relevant paperwork, they were found guilty and jailed in India for five years.
The Mission to Seafarers has raised more than £20,000 to support the crewmen and to campaign on behalf of their families. "We work on an international and national level.
Our approach to mission is a holistic one but we are also providing more specific forms of support.
We are very proud of being there for people of all faiths and none with absolute respect and sensitivity. "Andrew's daughter, Charlotte, is a seafarer, working as a stewardess on a superyacht.
Andrew himself enjoyed sailing when he lived on the Isle of Wight, but doesn't get out on boats so much now for fun.
Last year his work saw him spending a week on a Shetland trawler and he has also spent a week on a container ship, living and working alongside the crew. Sea Sunday is a global celebration.
Most churches that take part hold services on Sunday 9 July.