Pastoral care on the Humber

Fr Colum Kelly is AOS chaplain to the Humber ports. He is based at the Immingham ecumenical seafarers' centre. Like seafarers, he lives in his workspace. Here he describes a typical month giving pastoral care to seafarers.

Fr Colum Kelly takes control

The three chaplains of the ecumenical team divide up the work between us. I spend two weeks covering the port of Immingham which provides a mix of the great and mighty, the sad and dismal.

I am asked to mediate in a difficult situation. A crew member has been sacked one month into his contract. Confused about his rights, he refuses to leave his ship which is consequently unable to sail. Neither police nor immigration authorities can persuade him to move. In desperation, the shipping agency boss asks me if I can talk to him. I do and, fortunately, common sense prevails. The seafarer agrees to be repatriated, his rights unaffected, and the ship is able to sail.

I have an interesting encounter with the seafarer on watchkeeping duties on a ship with an all Chinese crew. He tells me he is a Christian and asks for many blessings as he shows me the holy medals hidden in his pocket. I tell him that I have a car and, if he likes, we can visit a church when his watch finishes. He thinks for a moment and then says “take me to casino please”.

Cargo ship Spar Jade has been with us for two weeks, an unusually long period for a ship that has not been detained. The delicate process of discharging the cargo means that we have time to get to know the crew, a mix of Indian and Filipino seafarers. The Immingham seafarers' centre has became a second home to them during their extended stay.

I regularly accompany our volunteer visit ships in the smaller ports of the Humber such as Grimsby and New Holland. This month I share a particularly poignant visit with volunteer Aileen onboard the Viking Islay. Three members of the crew died in a tragic accident last September. Now every space of wall is hung with a safety notice of some kind.

click here to read how Fr Colum offered pastoral care after the accident on the Viking Islay

Immingham docks

Trent wharves

Two weeks of the month are spent visiting the wharves of the River Trent. These isolated berthing facilities are particularly inhospitable for visiting seafarers. There are very few services available and the area can be a health and safety nightmare with forklift trucks moving around. Getting on and off ship can be impossible. Only one of the wharves has a proper gangway. Of the 27 ships I visit, I can board only five. So I am literally "alongside with seafarers" as I stand by their ships having shouted conversations.

The remoteness of the area makes our visits especially important to the seafarers. One happy feature of the Trent is the many “return” visits. Ships such as the Ratingen, Hanseatic, and many from the Wilson and Fast lines are regulars. There is also a good relationship between chaplains and local dockworkers who appreciate the work that we do for seafarers.

The main request on the Trent wharves is for transport to go shopping. A huge Tesco is visible from the wharves some three miles away across the fields. I drive the seafarers there and then bring them back with their provisions to their ships. I also bring them to where they can use public telephones as there are few available around the wharves.

Outreach

I am often invited to give talks to local groups. This month I lead an ecumenical group of some 70 people reflecting on the theme of "wilderness". While many think of deserts or mountains, I talk about the sea as wilderness. I tell the group about seafarers and the daily struggles which they face. The reaction is always the same. People are amazed to learn about this hidden workforce and fascinated by the work of AOS.