Our chief executive Martin Foley spoke to Vatican News following Pope Francis’ video message to seafarers. Martin says that seafarers are among the heroes of the pandemic and are key workers who deserve our continued support.

“This is a particularly difficult time for seafarers who have continued to work throughout the pandemic to ensure that our society continues to function; to ensure that our supermarket shelves are stocked. So, we owe a great debt of gratitude to seafarers; they are amongst the heroes of this pandemic,” said Martin.

With “the airline industry being grounded, seafarers who have come to the end of their contracts have had no other option even to extend their contracts; to stay on board their vessels until they can disembark at port from where they can then fly home,” he said.

Stella Maris continues to reach out to seafarers, to support them in whatever way they can. Due to the social distancing restrictions, our chaplains and ship visitors are having to “find ever more innovative ways to reach seafarers”.