Accessibility.SkipToMainContent
Community

House of Lords hears of maritime charities' work supporting keyworkers and their families

30 April 2020

British peer and former head of Maritime UK Lord Jeffrey Mountevans has highlighted to the House of Lords the role of maritime charities in supporting seafarers during the Covid-19 pandemic, including the Nautilus Welfare Fund.

The crossbench hereditary peer gave a briefing on 30 April on behalf of the Maritime Charities Group (MCG), and said its 10 members in the sector had 'raided their reserves' to come up with an extra £3m in funding.

'Maritime charities have stepped up to support our seafaring key workers, and face many of the same challenges as other UK charities,' Lord Mountevans said.

'Now more than ever, maritime charitable and voluntary sectors are dependent on the seafaring community to maintain the supply lines and keep the UK fed.

'Help is needed right across the seafaring community. Merchant seafarers and fishermen, ferry and cruise ship crew have all been affected.'

With severe restrictions in place in ports around the world, many seafarers working on merchant ships are stuck onboard without access to shore-based help.

Being thousands of miles from home, worried about their own health and that of their families, support from the charity community is needed even more than ever.

MCG members include the Nautilus Welfare Fund, Seafarers UK and Trinity House. Members are working together to co-ordinate their responses to provide vital support, from funding delivery partners working on the ground to fast-tracking grants to those in need.

Former seafarers are also 'some of the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach in our society and seafarer families are suffering too,' said the MCG.

Community

Nautilus Mariners' Park residents join global singing tribute for Day of the Seafarer

  • News
  • 13 April 2021
Welfare

Over £1 million secured for needy mariners

  • Telegraph
  • 04 February 2021
Welfare

Nautilus Mariners' Park manager honoured with maritime sector award

  • News
  • 07 January 2021

Charitable maritime Covid-19 initiatives

Initiatives so far have ranged from emergency grants for individuals, to revenue support to keep seafarer centres operating including the following Covid-19 emergency fund help:

  • Seafarers UK launched a £2m COVID-19 Emergency Fund, in addition to its budgeted £2m grants this year for charities and other organisations providing services and support for seafarers, as well as an emergency public appeal
  • Trinity House earmarked a significant portion of its annual grants budget for charities working on the front line
  • The TK Foundation has given over US$300k so far given to seafarer centres around the world and welfare organisations supporting individual seafarers in need
  • Nautilus Welfare Fund supports seafarers past and present including those in supported living and care homes
  • Seafarers Hospital Society works with frontline providers such as the Fishermen's Mission and Shipwrecked Mariners' Society to plug the gap while fishermen and their families wait for Universal Credit, and with those supporting merchant seafarers in need
  • Merchant Navy Welfare Board brings together maritime charity welfare providers to exchange information and find solutions for seafarers and their families who are in hardship
  • Greenwich Hospital has established an emergency fund for individuals and partner organisations working with the Royal Navy and Royal Marines
  • ITF Seafarers Trust has set aside over £1 million for seafarers internationally and over £600,000 has already been allocated
  • Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity has created a Naval Hardship Fund for those charities who are responding to above anticipated need and a support line has been set up
  • Lloyd's Register Foundation grantholder CHIRP Maritime are leading an international campaign to get seafarers recognised as key workers by governments around the world. They have published a new series of papers about the impact of COVID-19 on seafarers which LRF are helping to publicise

Tags

More articles

Featured
Health and safety

Nautilus FAQs on Covid-19 Coronavirus

  • Telegraph
  • 17 March 2021
Members at work

Master Mariners speak out about Covid-19 concerns

  • Telegraph
  • 23 April 2020
General secretary message

Seafarers – our keyworker beacons in a global emergency

  • Telegraph
  • 21 April 2020
General secretary message

Union steers high-level negotiations in maritime coronavirus response

Nautilus has played a leading role in industry dialogue on the coronavirus pandemic, steering policy decisions that affect members and, ultimately, all seafarers.

  • News
  • 28 April 2020
Health and safety

Nautilus helps produce topical new guidance on seafarer wellbeing

  • Telegraph
  • 15 April 2020
Members at work

A voice from the maritime community: 'Pay attention to seafarers now or regret it when pandemic shortages bite'

  • Telegraph
  • 03 April 2020
Education and training

'Overburdened with obsolete knowledge' – seafarers' opinions of STCW in the SkillSea project

  • Telegraph
  • 21 April 2020
Nautilus partnerships

Inside view: How Covid-19 is affecting the Mediterranean yacht season

  • Telegraph
  • 15 April 2020
Members at work

Nautilus hails multi-million-pound support package for 'lifeblood' ferries

Nautilus International, the Union for maritime professionals, has hailed the British government's multi-million-pound coronavirus support package to keep open vital ferry and transport routes for supplies and people.

  • News
  • 24 April 2020
United Kingdom

Maritime sector is doing work of 'national importance' – UK minister

Maritime sector is doing work of 'national importance, says UK Minister, despite the unprecedented difficulties, the maritime industry has 'responded magnificently'.

  • News
  • 24 April 2020
Health and safety

Seafarers in England to get priority testing for Covid-19

Seafarers in England will get priority testing for Covid-19 under the National Testing Strategy announced by The Department for Health and Social Care.

  • News
  • 24 April 2020
Members at work

Seafarer 'travel certificates' launched

Seafarers can now be issued with certificates confirming their keyworker status as transport workers and certifying they be allowed free passage to travel between their home and vessel during the coronavirus pandemic.

  • News
  • 17 April 2020