Fr. Rivers Patout with the Apostleship of the Sea, Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston,and the Houston International Seafarers' Center, recently shared the news about an amazing effort. This was an interfaith, multi-cultural, multi-organizational effort, which brought people from maritime ministries and the maritime industry in England and the United States to assist a volunteer fire department in the Philippines. A true world-wide effort, which happened because good people took the time to answer a call for help and think creatively.
This past Christmas season, the M.T. Clipper Karina was in transit between Italy and Houston, Texas. She was in the Mediterranean, when the vessel happened across 11 Algerian Refugees who had not had food or drink for 5 days. Two of them were near death when they were rescued by the M.T. Clipper Karina. They were adrift in a Zodiac and the engine was without fuel. Once rescued, they were fed by the ship's cook, Mr. Richard Fernandez Jr., and then given beds to rest.
A few days later they all safely landed near Gibraltar and the Captain claimed "Salvage" on the Dinghy and Engine.
Richard, the ship's cook, runs a Christian Volunteer Fire Brigade in his home town of Davao City in the Philippines. Richard and his DFRS team serve the "poor" of Davao City - in those areas of town unseen by tourists.
So he discussed the salvaged items with the Captain. When the Clipper Karina arrived in Houston, the International Seafarers' Center of Houston helped Richard ship the salvaged Dinghy and Yamaha engine to the Philippines as emergency equipment for the volunteer fire brigade. Father Rivers Patout AOS Port Chaplain in Houston was praised as being "instrumental in getting things done".
This was not the first time that Richard had wisely used salvaged or donated items for his cause back at home.
Between 2007 and 2009, while his vessel worked on the British and European coast, he had many Pastoral workers who helped him collect outdated fire- fighting equipment and clothing for use in the Philippines. Such equipment although outdated in Europe and the USA, is still superior to the equipment that the team had to work with in Davao.
The fire-fighting equipment which had been collected was being held in trust by the Port of Felixstowe Fire Brigade and was now in need of transit to the Philippines by a 20 Ft. Container. However, efforts to raise funds were unsuccessful.
Richard and the DFRS fire team received moral support from the Port of Felixstowe Fire and Ambulance Brigade and practical support from the Filipino Church community at Felixstowe, led by their Bishop.
Archbishop Honarato Belizario, head of the Spiritual Advisory Committee for the Philippine's House of Congress made a personal appeal but with little response from the Congress.
On March 4, Neville L.H. Cresdee, Ship Welfare Visitor for AOS Great Britain - Port of Tyne, contacted Sylvester Wilson with the Gonzales Seafarers' Center in the Port of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Mr. Cresdee requested his assistance on behalf of Richard Fernandes, who was again Cook onboard the MT Clipper Karina. The Karina was then anchored at Balboa awaiting a Panama Canal transit and then a 5 day journey to Baton Rouge.
Mr. Cresdee of Tyne requested the assistance of Mr. Wilson at the Gonzales Seafarers' Center run by a local Baptist Church, in order to offload Safety and Rescue equipment which was onboard the Karina, and ship it to the Davao DFRS team.
Unfortunately, though the Seafarers Center in Gonzales was willing to assist, timing and staffing did not allow for this, so Mr. Cresdee then contacted Fr. Rivers in Houston to see if his team could once again assist.
The Rev. Lacy Largent, Episcopalian Port Chaplain with the International Seafarers' Center of Houston, and an Affiliate Member of AOS-USA, was set into motion by Fr. Rivers. Rev Lacy worked quickly and when the ship arrived, she was able to enlist the Ship's Agent to help her offload the packages from the ship. The supplies were shipped to the Philippines, where a very happy volunteer fire department will know that people around the world care about them and the people they serve.
