By Wendy Laursen 2015-06-24 18:42:04
On June 25, the industry celebrates the fifth Day of the Seafarer. This day was instituted by the IMO to remember the importance of seafarers and to raise awareness about life at sea.
IMO’s campaign this year aims to inspire young people to consider a #CareerAtSea. If you are a seafarer or working in the maritime industry, you can tweet using the hashtag #CareerAtSea or post on the IMO Photo Wall.
Princess Cruises Says Thank-You
Princess Cruises is joining the IMO in celebrating the Day of the Seafarer to recognize the world’s 1.5 million seafarers to thank them for their service and contribution during their career at sea.
Around the world, there are organizations that support the well-being of seafaring crew by providing important humanitarian services that directly benefit the shipboard crew at Princess, as well as all international maritime workers. Princess Cruises actively supports these organizations located in ports of call the cruise line visits often including Seafarers’ House (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida); Seafarers UK (Southampton, England); Mission to Seafarers, (Seattle, Washington); and International Seafarer’s Center (Long Beach/Los Angeles, Calif.).
On every cruise, Princess raises money for charity by conducting an auction of the nautical charts, a one-of-a-kind collector’s item signed by the Captain that details the routes of the voyage. To celebrate the 2015 Day of the Seafarer, Princess’ guests will have the opportunity to show their support for their favorite crew members and seafarers and take home this unique keepsake from their cruise vacation.
Fleetwide, through the month of July, the proceeds from each commemorative nautical chart auction will be collected on behalf of seafarers. Princess Cruises Community Foundation will match the auction proceeds up to $10,000. Both the auction proceeds and the matched funds will be donated to seafarer organizations that promote the well-being of seafarers and their families.
Princess Cruises is showing appreciation and gratitude to seafarers everywhere and this day offers the opportunity to acknowledge the company’s nearly 18,000 shipboard crew who work aboard Princess cruise ships and come from more than 70 countries. Princess is also taking this opportunity to salute three long-serving employees who have dedicated themselves to a lifelong career at sea:
Tom Beck (Coventry, United Kingdom), Newbuild Guarantee Engineer, 51 years at sea
Alastair Calder (Genoa, Italy), Fleet Marine Inspector, 48 years at sea
Nigel Stewart (Fortrose, Scotland), Hotel General Manager, 47 years at sea
“We are grateful for the commitment and dedication of our seafaring staff – they are truly what makes Princess Cruises special for our guests,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “Because of their choosing to have a career at sea, our guests enjoy a safe, meaningful and memorable cruise vacation.”
In an additional show of support, the company will also donate a cruise to the Seattle branch of Mission to Seafarers and will be hosting their annual luncheon aboard Crown Princess on August 22 in the Port of Seattle.
Nautilus International Looks Shoreside
Nautilus International is encouraging seafarers who have transitioned ashore to share their experiences on the Day of the Seafarer in support of the theme of inspiring careers at sea. Nautilus International is a trade union and professional organization representing more than 22,000 maritime professionals in the UK, Netherlands and Switzerland.
General secretary Mark Dickinson said the union welcomed the United Nation’s annual observance day which this year has a focus on maritime education.
“The day is a great opportunity for maritime professionals from all sectors to champion the value of maritime education and training, not only to support a rewarding career at sea but also a seafarer’s subsequent employment ashore,” he said.
This year the Union is focusing on shoreside jobs and is encouraging seafarers to share one thing they wish they had known about coming ashore. They can go online and post their messages using the hashtag #CareeratSea when posting to Twitter and Facebook.
In support of the theme, the Union has commissioned research into career patterns, highlighting the importance of seafaring skills for the transition to shoreside job, which will be released during a seminar at London International Shipping Week in September.
This post was sourced from Maritime Executive: View original article here.
