Here is an interesting item taken from the current issue (Spring 2008, Edition No 21) of the Apostleship of the Sea’s magazine ‘Aongside’ . It shows dramatically the vital work carried out by the AOS in our seaports. We have a strong AOS Group in our Parish. The article is reproduced here by kind permission of the Editor .

Crew of the MV Padre safe thanks to AOS Padre

Ship detained at Immingham and crew saved thanks to the intervention of port chaplain Fr. Colum Kelly

In February 2008 MV Padre, a 25 year old ship, sailing empty from Turkey arrived in Immingham dock to pick  up cargo. Fr. Colum Kelly, port chaplain at Immingham, arrived on the ship to find a very unusual situation in which none of the 23 seafarers on board wanted to speak to him. Later that day three of the ships crew arrived at the seafarers centre to speak to Fr. Colum privately. It was then that the entire story tumbled out.

The crew had been very afraid to speak to him on board for fear of being blacklisted or abandoned at port, yet they felt so concerned over their safety they had braved coming to the centre to voice their concerns.

Fr. Colum reports "The seafarers told me they feared for their lives when they were in The Bay of Biscay, the ship was taking on water and they were certain they would go down. In the midst of this awful situation the Captain had forced them all to sign a disclaimer stating how happy they all were with the salary, conditions and the ship."

Fr. Colum immediately contacted the International Transport Federation (ITF) who came to inspect the ship. They instantly detained it in dock because of its unseaworthy

condition. Examination showed there had been not only crucial damage to the ship, but that conditions for the crew were not acceptable. There had been no hot water or showers, and only one broken toilet for the entire crew. There was also no form of safety equipment for any of the workers.

After 5 days of detention the ship was then sent to Hull for repairs before it was released. The ITF also ensured that the conditions were all brought up to standard.

Often seafarers are very scared to report bad conditions, and in fact Fr. Colum states "there probably will still be a backlash for these seafarers, such as this specific shipping company being unwilling to hire them. But at least their lives are now safe".

The seafarers themselves were happy with the outcome. Without the quick action of Fr. Colum we cannot say what might have happened to that ship and crew on its return voyage. This is why ship visiting is  such an important part of our work.