Say thanks to the backbone of the maritime industry this Day of the Seafarer

Across the globe an estimated 1.5 million seafarers form the backbone of international trade, while often spending eight months or more away from home.

Southern Ports Chief Executive Officer Keith Wilks said seafarers worked in tough conditions away from their friends and family for often eight months at a time.

“FIFO work is fairly common in WA, but the life of a seafarer is FIFO on a whole different level because its largely confined to a vessel rolling on the wide-open ocean with only short moments of occasional respite ashore,” he said.

“Their sacrifices allow our mineral resources, our grain, our timber products and a whole lot more to reach global markets – and that drives our regional, state and national economies.

“We’d love for our communities to show their support of these critical workers by taking some time to send them a message this Day of the Seafarer.”

As an island nation, over 99 per cent of Australia’s international trade is carried out by sea and there was more than 32,000 vessel visit to the nation’s ports last year.

Mr Wilks, who spent a decade working aboard vessels as a seafarer, said more than 16,000 seafarers visited the ports in Bunbury, Esperance and Albany last year.

“International tensions and dramatic shifts within the global trade have made the lives of seafarers even more uncertain over the past 12 months,” he said.

“As an organisation Southern Ports does what it can to support seafarers while they are visiting our ports, but we’re sure messages of support from the wider community will provide an additional boost to morale aboard visiting vessels.” 

Throughout the year Southern Ports provides support to visiting seafarers through its Port Welfare Committees initiatives, such as supplying wi-fi boxes to visiting vessels, and regular support of the local Mission to Seafarers and Stella Maris centres.

Southern Ports will collate the messages and deliver them to visiting seafarers during Day of the Seafarer at the end of June.

Submit your message for visiting seafarers by 22 June here.