Seafarers International House

10/07/2026

Prayers are needed for the seafarers involved: Yesterday, a drone sank a merchant vessel off Bulgaria. In all, two ships were hit in the attack ... The crew of one, which was carrying grain, was rescued, with two injured. The other, which sank, was a Togo-flagged ship whose cargo was not disclosed. It is unclear how many people were on board. A search has been launched for the missing crew and for any signs of an environmental threat. Learn more about this attack at
https://www.reuters.com/world/drones-strike-two-ships-bulgarias-black-sea-zone-president-2026-10-06/

10/03/2026

Our Baltimore port chaplain, Vitalii, recently visited these seafarers. They discussed how the crises in the Strait of Hormuz and Red Sea are affecting seafarers and shipping. With the Francis Scott Key Bridge behind them, they asked about the Dali crew. After the ship accidentally struck the bridge in March 2024, causing its collapse and killing six construction workers, the crew was detained; fewer than five remain in Baltimore for questioning. Luckily, the International Seafarers' Center is a place where they can meet other seafarers and play shuffleboard.

09/29/2026

Look who made 298 scarves for seafarers from landlocked Christ Lutheran Church, Minot 🎅💒 Thanks for reading the PortCall Newsletter too. (https://www.sihnyc.org/_files/ugd/0a725f_2e3b5eed9f494724943ebea10bbe91c9.pdf)

Our Hands of Prayer group keep each other in stitches as they knit and crochet scarves, prayer shawls and washcloths. Last week they sent 298 scarves to Seafarers International House to keep seafarers warm as they come into port, and they sent 30 scarves to Minot State University. If you are a knitter or crocheter you are always welcome to join in on the first Monday of each month at 2pm.

09/26/2026

Our Fall PortCall Newsletter is out and covers "What is never paid for at sea," and "Why they must flee from their home land."
Here is the link to the full newsletter as PDF:https://www.sihnyc.org/_files/ugd/0a725f_2e3b5eed9f494724943ebea10bbe91c9.pdf

09/25/2026

What is it like to be a seafarer? For a glimpse, take a look at these photos!

09/19/2026

Spreading kindness: The crew of the MV Genco Aquitaine 🚢 brought us salt for winter ❄️ streets, and in return, our ship visitor Tim delivered gifts of shirts 👕, pullovers, playing cards, books 📚, and candy 🍬, lifting their spirits as they sail on to Freeport, Bahamas 🌴. Together, we're creating a ripple of hope and connection on the high seas! 🌊

09/12/2026

Some sobering news from United Nations (UN) News: The global shipping industry is facing a "genuinely unprecedented" convergence of maritime crises, with vessels and seafarers increasingly used as “leverage” in conflicts that have nothing to do with them.
Four regions – the Strait of Hormuz, the Red Sea, the waters off Somalia, and the Black Sea – are now simultaneously active theatres of danger, on a scale the shipping industry has not seen before. Vessels and seafarers are being trapped and attacked in conflicts that have nothing to do with the ships themselves.
Perhaps the deepest concern is the future of the seafaring workforce itself as without seafarers there is no shipping industry.
The full article is available at https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/09/1168297

09/11/2026

Shanah tovah umetukah to all celebrants on land and at sea!

Note: The image is AI generated and copied from another FB post.