|
Prayer Requests:
For the repose of the soul of Emelie Abshire Suire, Sister-in-Law of Jane Istre. Emelie had cancer and passed away on Sunday. Her family appreciates your prayers.
For Fr. Michael Sullivan, Cruise Ship Priest Member who fell and injured himself last week.
For the Mother of Karen Parsons, who has been very ill. They appreciate the prayers of their AOS Family.
For Fr. Joe Brando, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest who has cancer. He asks for your prayers.
For Fr. Steven L. Yander, AOS-USA Cruise Ship Priest, who is having open heart surgery. He appreciates your prayers.
Fr. Edward McKenna, Cruise Ship Priest who recently suffered a stroke. He asks for prayers from his AOS-USA Family.
For Miss Mary Cadotte, step-daughter of Jim McGee, with the Seafarers' International Union in Houston. Mary was just diagnosed with
Hodgekin's Disease, and is undergoing testing at MD Anderson.
AOS PRAYER
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy upon all Seafarers.
(1 Our Father)
(Hail Mary)
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
Lord save us, we perish.
|
Join AOS USA Today!
To join AOS USA simply click on the following link:
|
|
AOS/USCCB Website:
Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the Lord, his wondrous works in the deep. (Psalm 107:23-24)
|
|
AOS-USA Office Update & Thank you
Dear Friends,
Just a quick note to say thank you to all of you who have kindly kept me in prayer. I had my surgery on January 28 for a hysterectomy, and though it was a bit more involved than originally planned, all went well, and I've been recovering at home.
I am blessed to work with Capt. McShea and such a great Board of Directors who have given me all the time that I need to recover, and to be able to work from home for a while.
I'd also like to thank Fr. Sinclair Oubre, and Jane Istre, who stepped in to handle membership, mail, and any issues that arose. Though we may have been quiet on the e-news, there has been a great deal of activity on the Cruise Ship Priest side of our work, and Conference planning, and they helped keep all of that rolling along.
Please keep Jane and her family in prayer, as she lost her Sister-in-Law, Emelie Abshire Suire to cancer on Sunday.
And now, back to work. We have a great deal of news to report!
Doreen M. Badeaux
Secretary General
|
Supporting Humanitarian Actions a Half a World Away
Courtesy: Port Arthur News
By: Doreen M. Badeaux
President, Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center
The Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center is known for the assistance it gives to US and foreign mariners as they bring supplies to and from our local Sabine-Neches Waterway. We do this in many ways. We recently got a call from the Jack Brooks Airport asking if we could help get an American mariner to his ship in the Beaumont Reserve Fleet. Sometimes we help a ship's crew get their back wages, or help them get sufficient potable water and food for a long voyage. In such cases, we work with the appropriate authorities, such as our local Coast Guard, Custom and Boarder Protection, or the International Transport Workers Federation to ensure that the men and women onboard have the means to access justice.
However, this is not just a one way street. Many people do not realize the important humanitarian and lifesaving task seafarers perform on the vast seas. Many of our local Vietnamese neighbors recall U.S. and foreign merchant ships rescuing them from rickety boats as they fled from South Vietnam. (See: the video below)
|
| | Refugee Rescue I The Feed |
These heroic actions continue in our present day. Just this last week, between February 13 and 17, over 3,800 migrants were rescued in the Mediterranean according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
Many of these migrants are fleeing war torn nations like Libya, Somalia and Syria, and set out in unseaworthy and overloaded vessels.
Unfortunately, this is not a new issue. Here are a few staggering facts:
- Since the year 2000, the IOM reports that 47,000 refugees and migrants around the world have died seeking safe harbors and new places to call home.
- Over 3,072 migrants trying to reach Europe drowned in the Mediterranean in the year 2014.
- 1,495 refugees or migrants have died in Australian waters between the year 2000 and 2014.
- In Europe 22,400 people have died at sea between the years 2000 and 2014.
- In the Bay of Bengal off the Coast of India 1,500 - 2,000 people have died between the year 2012 and 2014.
- Closer to home, 188 have died in the Caribbean between the year 2012 and 2015.
It is often Merchant Ships, or even Cruise Ships that find these vessels, or the remains of them, and their passengers. Once a ship's Captain and crew find anyone in peril at sea, they are morally obligated to assist them.
In a recent issue of "Seaways Magazine", a journal of the Nautical Institute, ship masters are reminded that "When a vessel assists in rescuing persons in distress, all parties, including shipowners and insurers must fully support the proper humanitarian and legal actions of the Masters. Not only is this the proper humanitarian reaction, it has been firmly based in the traditions and laws of the sea for many years. The Master's obligations are addressed in UNCLOS (The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas), and SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea)."
However, the reality is that assisting those in peril can cause a boat-load of trouble for the ship's master and crew. There is a strong temptation to look the other way when an overloaded vessel is on the horizon, or fail to hear the call from the Coast Guard on the location of refugees.
Yet, when the ship does come along side, and carefully begin to bring the sometimes hundreds of refugees onboard, the crewmembers look into the eyes of profound human suffering. They encounter people who have fled with only the clothes on their backs, folks who have seen their family members killed before their eyes, or their child or spouse die in their arms during the perilous voyage.
All these things take a terrible emotional toll on seafarers from around the world, and the staff and the volunteers at the Port Arthur International Seafarers' Center try to be that listening ear and source of consolation for men and women who have witnessed so much inhumanity.
|
Pope Meets with Italian Coast Guard:
Expresses Admiration for Their Bravery in Rescuing Migrants and Refugees
Courtesy: Zenit.org
By: Junno Arocho Estevez
February 18, 2015
Pope Francis met with a delegation representing the Italian Coast Guard on Tuesday evening, thanking them for their service in rescuing refugees and migrants.
Eight members of the Italian Coast Guard, led by Admiral Commander Felicio Angrisano as well as the head of operations, Admiral Giovanni Pettorino, met the Holy Father at his residence in Casa Santa Marta. Also present was the Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation, Maurizio Lupi.
According to a communique by Vatican spokesman, Fr. Federico Lombardi, the delegation informed the Pope on the difficult rescue operations carried out to help save migrants and those fleeing war.
"Those present told the Pope their concrete experiences, both touching and impressive, and at the end the Pope addressed them expressing to them his sympathy and appreciation for their service performed with courage and dedication in favor of the poorest," the statement read.
"The Pope remembered his visit to Lampedusa and praised the solidarity of the Lampedusian people with refugees even at the cost of damage to its tourism industry."
Last year, an estimated 3,200 refugees have died making the dangerous trek by boat from Libya. Hundreds have died this year in shipwrecks.
Concluding his statement, Fr. Lombardi stated that the Holy Father told the delegation from the Italian Coast Guards: "I have admiration for you, truly. I say, I feel small in front of the work that you do risking your lives, and I thank you wholeheartedly for this. I will support you as I can: with prayers, good words and affection."
|
Fr. Rivers Patout Honored at Lloyd's List North American Awards Ceremony
AOS-USA salutes Lloyd's List for recognizing the life and work of Fr. Rivers Patout, longtime Port Chaplain for AOS Houston. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously during the North American Awards Ceremony in Houston on February 18.
Though he was the Port Chaplain in Houston, Fr. Rivers shared his skills and insights with Port Chaplains around the United States and  around the world, and helped establish many seafarers centers, and train countless Port Chaplains.
He truly shared his knowledge with the world, and so this award is most appropriate!
Thanks to Jason Zuidema with NAMMA for sharing the video below, with Pat Nemec accepting the award for Fr. Rivers.
Video Link
|
AOS-USA Congratulates Lloyd's List Award Winners!
Congr  atulations go out to AOS-USA Mariner Member, Joe Cox, for earning the Lloyd's List Lifetime Achievement Award during the Lloyd's List North American Awards Ceremony in Houston on February 19. We also congratulate our dear friends at Seafarers' House & Lesley Warrick, Executive Director who received the award for Seafarer Advocate of the year.
|
MLC Human Rights Convention "Myth" Debunked
Courtesy: IHS Maritime 360
By: Girija Shettar
13 February 2015
Maritime welfare advocacy organisation Human Rights at Sea (HRAS) has said that seafarers do not have human rights protections under the Maritime Labour Convention 2006 (MLC).
A gap analysis made by the UK-based Human Rights at Sea organisation has found that just two human rights are explicitly mentioned in the convention and that references to human rights in the convention are otherwise implicit, not explicit.
HRAS founder David Hammond told IHS Maritime: "This analysis was undertaken on the basis that it was represented to me by a shipping entity in early 2014 that the MLC was also human rights convention and therefore covered all human rights.
"HRAS does not agree with this position and remains concerned that this is an emerging common myth in some shipping circles."
The convention's two human rights, as listed in the Declaration of Human Rights, 1948, are: the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; and the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour.
The analysis of MLC, said Hammond, was set against the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948, and the European, American and African human rights conventions. He said that the MLC does not explicitly cover 22 identified human rights.
Fundamental human rights it does not contain include "one of the most fundamental human rights" - the right to life, liberty or security, which is found in Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and Articles 2 and 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Others that are missing include the right to recognition as a person before the law; the right to be assumed innocent until proven guilty; the right of appeal in criminal matters; and the right to respect for private and family life.
"You have to imply human rights through the preamble" of the MLC, he told a legal and maritime audience in London this week. He was referring to the MLC clause that reads: "Mindful also that seafarers are covered by the provisions of other ILO instruments and have other rights which are established as fundamental rights and freedoms applicable to all persons".
The phrase "human rights" does not appear in the MLC, and this, said Hammond, is understandable because the MLC is a labour convention.
"The intent behind the draft of the MLC was not human rights. It is a labour convention," he said.
Thus, the MLC's preamble explicitly states that it aims to 'embody' the standards of existing "maritime labour conventions and recommendations, as well as the fundamental principles to be found in other international labour conventions". It then lists eight international labour conventions, such as the Equal Remuneration Convention, 1951, and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999.
The rights listed in the MLC's Article 3, entitled: "Fundamental Rights and Principles", lists the two above-mentioned human rights, plus: the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation.
Hammond said that the aim of his organisation was to make human rights for seagoing professionals explicit. He said that in maritime regulations, including UNCLOS, human rights have to be implied.
"In this day and age," he told the London meeting, "application through implication is unacceptable. That is why I say we want to be explicit in talking about human rights and the human element and the seafarer," and he added that it should not be forgotten that "without the seafarers and the fishermen most of us here wouldn't be in a job."
Hammond expects human rights litigation landscape to heat up. He noted that currently there are 105 law suits pertaining to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), including the 2012 suit against Shell by the Nigerian Bodo community seeking compensation for two oil spills.
He also predicts that maritime will be one of the sectors feeling that heat.
"I believe that there will be an emerging litigation in the maritime industry for issues of CSR, as are already going on in other areas," he said.
Hammond said that more and more companies are being proactive in their corporate social responsibilities, and he predicted "increasing national companies legislation and increasing efforts within sectors" to shore up their CSR footprint - looking at "how the human element and human rights can be applied".
|
Pirates Plant Bomb on Tanker
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
By: Wendy Laursen
16 February 2015
A homemade bomb was left on the Thai product tanker captured by pirates on Friday.
Up to eight armed pirates stole around 2,000 tons of bunker and five tons of diesel from the vessel Lapin in the Strait of Malacca. The pirates are believed to be Indonesian nationals, reports the Bangkok Post, and they were armed with guns and swords.
The tanker had just left Singapore at the time of the attack. The crew were held hostage while another vessel came alongside and stole the fuel.
There are no reports of injuries, but the master requested the assistance of navy and maritime police to diffuse the bomb after the pirates left.
|
Ferry Master Jailed for 8 Years
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
By: Wendy Laursen
16 February, 2015
Lai Sai-ming, master of the ferry Sea Smooth, has been sentenced to eight years' prison after an October 2012 collision that resulted in the death of 39 people including eight children.
The Hong Kong court found Lai, 56, guilty of 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of endangering the lives of others at sea.
Chow Chi-wai, 58 and master of the pleasure boat Lamma IV, which collided with Sea Smooth, was acquitted of manslaughter charges but sentenced to nine months prison for endangering the lives of others at sea.
Hong Kong was in the midst of celebrating China's National Day at the time of the accident, resulting in the area's already bustling waters being unusually overcrowded.
Lamma IV, owned by The Hong Kong Electric Company, was carrying company employees and their families to watch a fireworks display when it was struck by the passenger ferry traveling from Hong Kong Island to Lamma Island.
The collision occurred off Lamma's coast around 8:20 p.m. and resulted in more than 100 people being flung into the water. Lamma IV began to sink almost immediately after the impact, and low visibility and obstacles on board made work difficult for rescuers.
The Hong Kong Standard reports that prosecutor Andrew Bruce previously told the court how Chow turned his vessel "too little, too late" as Sea Smooth was not only traveling at twice its speed, but also made "a monumental mistake" of turning to port in a crossing situation.
Lai's barrister Audrey Campbell-Moffat told the court: "You have here a man who's never been to school, who's been at sea all his life and has never had any accidents. I don't seek to undermine that the lack of proper lookout was the cause of the collision but, looking at the culpability of the act, it's at the bottom of the range."
In letters to the court, a passenger onboard Lamma IV, surnamed Lee, described seeing Chow doing his best to maintaining order and comforting passengers after the collision.
Both Chow and Lai have reportedly been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
The accident was the deadliest maritime accident in Hong Kong since 1971, when a Hong Kong-Macau ferry sank during a typhoon, leaving 88 people dead.
|
U.S. Cutter Rescue in Antarctica
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
13 February 2015
The United States Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star is now towing the Australian-flagged fishing vessel Antarctic Chieftain to open water in Antarctica.
The Rescue Coordination Centre New Zealand (RCCNZ) is responding to a request for assistance from the 63m Antarctic Chieftain, owned by Australian Longline Pty, which became trapped after damaging three of the four blades of its propeller. The request for assistance came in on Wednesday after the Antarctic Chieftain damaged its propeller blades trying to break though ice floes.
The Polar Star made its way through icy waters and reached the Antarctic Chieftain earlier this morning (Saturday). After breaking the ice around the Antarctic Chieftain, the crew of the Polar Star deployed an ROV (remotely operated underwater vehicle) to assess the extent of the propeller damage and whether the Antarctic Chieftain was capable of making way through the ice under its own power.
RCCNZ Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator Conrad Reynecke said the ROV was able to ascertain the extent of the damage.
"The blades were assessed as too badly damaged for the vessel to be able to use them for propulsion from the ice field.
"The crew on the Polar Star then rigged up tow lines and began to tow the Antarctic Chieftain to open water. They are making slow, but steady progress and are currently approximately 60 nautical miles from clear water in the North," Reynecke said.
Meanwhile the New Zealand-flagged fishing boat, Janas, is also proceeding to the area to provide assistance if required.
"The Janas has been making good progress, and is around 485 nautical miles (900 km) to the north-west, and expects to reach the area on Monday night," Reynecke said.
Weather conditions for all three vessels continue to be favorable.
The Antarctic Chieftain is located at the eastern edge of New Zealand's search and rescue region, approximately 900 nautical miles (1,700 km) from McMurdo Sound.
There is a crew of 26 on board, 13 of which are New Zealanders.
The fishing boat's hull is not damaged, and there has been no spill of oil from the vessel.
|
ILO Floats Plans for ePassports for Seafarers
Courtesy: SecurityDocumentWorld.Com
13 February 2015
Stakeholders at an International Labour Organisation meeting have agreed that seafarers' identity documents should be upgraded to a modern travel document such as an ePassport.
Held in Geneva, the tripartite meeting of employers, seafarers' unions and governments aimed to consider improvements to the Seafarers' Identity Documents Convention due to implementation problems.
The latest SIDs standards were adopted in 2003, but the convention has failed to achieve widespread implementation.
This is because: "the technical standards adopted have been superseded by the technologies and infrastructure now used for the issuance and verification of ePassports", wrote the World Maritime News.
The meeting heard that the technical specifications for SIDs should be updated in order to bring them into line with those technologies currently used for ePassports.
|
Costa Concordia Captain Sentenced to 16 Years
Courtesy: Maritime Executive
11 February 2015
An Italian court sentenced the former captain of the Costa Concordia cruise liner to 16 years in prison on Wednesday for his role in the 2012 shipwreck that killed 32 people off the Tuscan holiday island of Giglio.
Francesco Schettino was commanding the vessel, a floating hotel as long as three football pitches, when it came too close to shore and hit rocks off the island, tearing a hole in its side.
Schettino was convicted of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning his passengers in one of the highest-profile shipping disasters in recent years.
However, he will not actually go to jail before the end of Italy's long appeals process, which can take years after the court said he would not be imprisoned or put under house arrest until the whole appeals process is complete.
Investigators severely criticized Schettino's handling of the disaster, accusing him of bringing the 290 meter-long vessel too close to shore. The subsequent shipwreck set off a chaotic night evacuation of more than 4,000 passengers and crew.
He was also accused of delaying evacuation and abandoning ship before all the 4,229 passengers and crew had been rescued.
Prosecutors had asked for a prison sentence of 26 years for Schettino, who has admitted some responsibility but denied blame for the deaths that occurred during the evacuation.
The court sentenced Schettino to 10 years for multiple manslaughter, 5 years for causing the shipwreck and one year for abandoning his passengers. In addition he received a one month civil penalty for failure to report the accident correctly.
He was left alone in the dock to answer for the disaster after the ship's owners Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp , paid a 1 million euro ($1.1 million) fine and prosecutors accepted plea bargains from five other officials.
He and Costa Cruises were jointly ordered to pay a total of 30,000 euros compensation to each of the ship's passengers as well as millions of euros in compensation to Italian government ministries, the region of Tuscany and the island of Giglio for environmental damage.
Earlier on Wednesday Schettino had rejected prosecution accusations that he had shown no sense of responsibility or compassion for the victims, saying "grief should not be put on show to make a point."
The massive hulk of the Costa Concordia was left abandoned on its side for two-and-a-half years before it was towed away in the most expensive maritime wreck recovery in history. The last body was not recovered until last year.
Schettino's defense team argued he prevented an even worse disaster by steering the ship close to the island as it sank. They said the sentence that was sought by prosecutors went beyond even sentences sought for mafia killers.
IMO Reviews Training Requirements
IMO's sub-committee on the human element, training and watchkeeping (HTW) met between February 2 and 6 resulting in progress on the implementation of new passenger ship specific training requirements following the Costa Concordia incident.
The sub-committee agreed, in principle, to draft amendments to regulation V/2 and section A-V/2 of the STCW Convention and Code, related to mandatory minimum requirements for the training and qualifications of masters, officers, ratings and other personnel on passenger ships.
The amendments, would require personnel serving on board passenger ships to have completed passenger ship emergency familiarization appropriate to their capacity, duties and responsibilities.
They would also require masters, officers, ratings and other personnel designated on the muster lists to assist passengers in emergency situations on board passenger ships to undergo passenger ship crowd management training.
New sections in the STCW code Section A-V/2 mandatory minimum requirements for the training and qualification of masters, officers, ratings and other personnel on passenger ships would cover "Passenger ship emergency familiarization" and "Safety training for personnel providing direct service to passengers in passenger spaces".
The sub-committee agreed to further review the draft amendments which are expected to be finalized at the next session.
|
Catholic charity launches global port chaplain directory for seafarers
Courtesy: AOS Great Britain
19January 2015
Catholic seafarers' charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) has launched a revised version of its global port chaplains' directory which helps crew get access to help and advice wherever they are in the world.
The 'Port Chaplain Directory 2015' contains the phone numbers and e-mail addresses of the Catholic maritime agency's chaplains in 207 ports across 38 countries.
It lists AoS' chaplains working in some of the world's trouble spots in 2014 such as Ukraine and Congo, and parts of the Philippines devastated by typhoons.
The directory covers both the shipping and fishing sectors and includes AoS' port-based and cruise chaplains.
"As seen in previous years, the directory is a fantastic resource for seafarers, chaplains and others in the maritime sector and shows the extensive nature of our ministry across the globe," said AoS national director Martin Foley.
AoS has printed 10,000 copies of the directory to give out to seafarers at ports.
The directory is available both online and in hard copy and port authorities or shipping companies wanting copies for their crews should get in contact with the charity.
"Providing up to date and accurate details of all our chaplains will be a valuable resource both for seafarers and those working in the maritime industry," said Foley.
"It enables our chaplains to provide holistic care for seafarers in port after port worldwide and gives seafarers a tool to get quick and easy access to assistance and advice, including getting to Mass."
The directory can be downloaded at
http://bit.ly/1xnsGB2
|
West Africa records 41 piracy cases in 2014 with 442 hostages
Courtesy: MaritimeCypress.Com
19 February 2015
The West African coastline recorded 41 incidents of piracy, although many further attacks were unreported while pirates held 442 crew-members hostage compared to 304 in 2013, according to a report from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
In and around Ghanaian waters, three vessels were hijacked between June and July - one of which was a fishing vessel intended to be used as a platform to hijack tankers off Nigeria. Seven vessels were also boarded while anchored at Pointe-Noire, Republic of the Congo, with ship and crew properties targetted by the robbers.Nigeria's coastline recorded 18 attacks involving 14 tankers and vessels associated with the oil industry; most were product tankers that were hijacked to steal and transship cargo into smaller tankers.
Worldwide, 21 vessels were hijacked last year; 183 were boarded, and 13 fired upon. Pirates killed four crew-members, injured 13 and kidnapped nine from their vessels. In the report five vessels were hijacked, including three tankers, one supply vessel and a fishing vessel. Hijackings of product tankers subsided in the last quarter of the year under review, with the last case at the end of July 2014. The report also revealed that attacks against small tankers off South East Asia's coasts caused a rise in global ship hijackings, up to 21 in 2014 from 12 in 2013, despite piracy at sea falling to its lowest level in eight years."IMB's annual piracy report shows 245 incidents were recorded worldwide in 2014 - a 44 percent drop since Somali piracy peaked in 2011."
Somali pirates were responsible for 11 attacks, all of which were thwarted. However, IMB warns shipmasters to follow the industry's Best Management Practices, as the threat of Somali piracy has not been eliminated."The global increase in hijackings is due to a rise in attacks against coastal tankers in South East Asia," said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB whose Piracy Reporting Centre has monitored world piracy since 1991. "Gangs of armed thieves have attacked small tankers in the region for their cargoes, many looking specifically for marine diesel and gas oil to steal and then sell."
Citing the death of one crew-member shot on his bitumen tanker in December, the IMB report highlights the possibility of hijackings becoming increasingly violent. Most of the 124 attacks in the region were aimed at low-level theft from vessels using guns and long knives.The Bureau commended the Indonesian Marine Police's efforts to stem the increase in attacks in identified port hotspots.
"Outside port limits, pirates are particularly active in the waters around Pulau Bintan and the South China Sea, where 11 vessels were hijacked in 2014. Actions taken by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the Indonesian authorities and other maritime forces of regional coastal states, have played a key role in responding to these attacks.
"It is important that these gangs are caught and punished under law, before the attacks become more audacious and violent," said Mr. Mukundan. Bangladesh reported 21 incidents in 2014, up from 12 in 2013. Seventeen anchored and three vessels underway were boarded.
The majority of incidents were low level thefts from vessels, although in one report three crew were taken hostage and two crew injured in two separate incidents. The Bangladesh Coast Guard helped respond to many calls for assistance from ship masters.
|
Church support for family of missing fishing trawler crew
Courtesy: AOS Great Britain
30 January 2015
Catholic charity Apostleship of the Sea (AoS) has provided support to the family and relatives of crew members after their vessel vanished in rough seas in the English Channel on Wednesday (28th January).
The Belgian trawler, the Z85 Morgenster, went missing in the English Channel on Wednesday with four people on board. During Thursday two bodies were recovered from the sea.
Fr. Dirk Demaeght, AoS Chaplain Fisheries and the Belgian Costal Ports has been visiting families to provide support at this tragic time.
"They are still in a state of shock after what has happened. We will continue to visit them over the next few days and assist them in any way we can" said Fr Dirk.
Paul Glock, AoS Chaplain in Dover was aware of the incident from early on and was prepared to offer any assistance that may have been necessary.
"The incident is terribly sad and makes you realise how much these fishing crew really do need our support as you never know what may happen to them next." said Paul.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the crew and family today" Paul added.
|
|
Join AOS-USA in saying the AOS Prayer each day!
Please take the time to say this pray with us each day:
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy upon all Seafarers
(1 Our Father)
(Hail Mary)
Our Lady, Star of the Sea, pray for us.
St. Peter, pray for us.
St. Andrew, pray for us.
Lord save us, we perish.
|
|
Important Upcoming Events for
AOS USA Members
Houston Maritime Ministry Training School
Feb. 1 - 13, 2015
Houston International Seafarers' Center
Click below for the application:
Houston School Application 2015
AOS-USA Annual Conference
April 21 - 23, 2015
American Maritime Officers Union
Dania, Florida
National Maritime Day
May 22, 2015
|
|
|
