Fall 2 0 1 4 

VOL UME 1 0 6 /N UMBER 3

Do You Depend on Mariners?

by Jennifer Koenig Breen, Director of Development

These days, folks take
all kinds of online
tests, the results of
which purporting
to reveal something
special about their
personality, intelligence,
or relationships. Some
people take these
quizzes for fun. Others
put great stock in
their assessments.
Likely youve seen the posts on social media.
I scored 10/10, someone might write,
professing knowledge of a particular subject.
People brand themselves as sovereigns of
grammar, the best boyfriend or girlfriend,
or the most knowledgeable about science
fiction. What knowledge do you take pride
in having?
If youve got five minutes, we have an
entertaining test for youa test that can
reveal something about relationships. Weve
created a transoceanic scavenger hunt
designed to expose the hidden connections
between items in your home and the people
who brought them to you. Its quick and free
and may help bring into focus the widespread
effect mariners have on our lives.
(1) Go into your closet and select five
items. Inside each garment, locate the
manufacturers tag. Along with the care
instructions, you should find the articles
country of production. List them below.

(2) Grab your cell

phone. Engraved on it,
you should find a phrase
beginning, Assembled
in or Made in. The
verbiage may vary, and
some phones wont have
this information visible;
however, a search on
the web of your personal
brand of phone should
help disclose the country of origin. Write
it below.

(3) Have a look out in the driveway or in

the garage. Do you know where your car
was made? The brand of the car doesnt
necessarily tell you the country where it was
manufactured. Instead, look at the first three
letters of your Vehicle Identification Number
(VIN) and compare them to the codes
found on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/Vehicle_identification_number).1
Write the country in which your vehicle was
made below.

Likely, in more than one of the blanks above

you see a country listed besides the United
States. Perhaps you dont even see America
listed once.
People in multiple countries around the
globe make things like clothing, up-todate electronics and new automobiles, but
mariners make it possible for us to have
them. Mariners bring affordable items from
far away places to our local store shelves.
continued on page 7
Even if your car professes American craftsmanship, likely
not all of its parts came from the U.S. Use ABC News
web application What Percentage of Your Car Was Made
in America? (http://smschur.ch/abc-car-test) to calculate
the percentage of American-made parts in popular models.
Youll have a hard time finding a car composed entirely of
American parts.

The Seamens Church Institute

Show Your Score

Share your results from
this quiz with others on
Facebook and Twitter.
#Idependonmariners

In this issue
Directors Log

New Chapter
in Training

Guidlines for
US Visas

Piracy

Access to
Oilrigs

SS Marine
Electric

Securing
the Future

Founded in 1834, the

Institute is a voluntary,
ecumenical agency
affiliated with the
Episcopal Church that
provides pastoral care,
maritime education, and
legal and advocacy
services for mariners.
seamenschurch.org

Executive
Directors Log
Dear Friend,
I know you receive a lot of
requests for donations to
worthy causes. I know this
because on any given day, I
get at least one in the mail,
too. Some of the letters
come from charities I have
supported in the past and
from whom I enjoy reading
updates. Other letters come
from organizations I have
never given to, and I wonder how I got on their list.
Assisting the work of the
Institute gives support to
persons who make our modern
way of life possible. Use the
envelope accompanying this
newsletter to make a financial
contribution today.

SCI SUSTAINING
SPONSORS

Theres a good reason you have received this newsletter. SCI counts you among a special
group of peoplethe likes of whose support and generosity other charities can only
dream of.
This year, SCI has made several appeals to different people for different needs. Weve
asked leaders of major maritime transportation companies to give a corporate sponsorship.
Weve also asked those same people to consider giving to the Institute from their own
personal checkbook. Weve even gone back to the same loyal supporters to
ask for a financial contribution to The Campaign for SCI: Securing the Future
of Mariners.
Most people understand that non-profit organizations send out more than
one appeal each year. As SCIs President and Executive Director, I know
the necessity of constant fundraising. But as a person who also finds himself
frequently on the receiving end of these many asks, I know how repetitive it
all can seem.
Yet, our supporters bigheartedness has impressed me over and over again.
While it might seem we constantly have our hands out, so many people have
understood the various needs, become excited about whats in store and
responded in spades.

Fall 2014 Volume 106, Number 3

Published by
The Seamens Church Institute
seamenschurch.org
212-349-9090
fax: 212-349-8342
sci@seamenschurch.org
Richard T. du Moulin
Chairman, Board of Trustees

Although we may have asked you multiple times this year to consider a
financial contribution, I hope you notice that its not for business as usual.
We have so many exciting projects going on at SCIso many things we need
your help to make happen. I thank you for hearing us out for a second, third
or maybe even a fourth time.
Your invaluable support means that SCI can dream big, go farther
and do more in a new era of support to this and future generations of
maritime workers.
Yours faithfully,

The Rev. David M. Rider

President and Executive Director
Editor, Oliver Brewer
Design & Production, Bliss Design

The Rev. David M. Rider

President & Executive Director

The Lookout is printed on recycledpaper.

2 The Seamens Church Institute

The Lookout

Fall 2014

New Chapter in
Maritime Training
SCI began training mariners in 1899. Throughout the years,
the Institutes staff has dedicated itself to enhancing the safety of
mariners, vessels and the marine environment. New technology
in SCIs facilities positions the Institute at the top of options for
maritime education.

SCIs Center for Maritime Education leaders spent 15

months conducting a comprehensive review to gut and
rebuild SCIs Paducah and Houston training facilities with
state-of-the-art simulation equipment. After a full scope
review, competitive bidding and negotiation with selected
manufacturer Kongsberg Maritime, SCI signed a contract
to upgrade infrastructure at its Paducah facility. On-site
implementation began in August, with operational status
scheduled for November 2014.
Paducah-based company Ray Black & Son has managed
local facility construction, which accompanies a host of
transformations to the Centers physical plant. Users of SCIs
newly gut-renovated facility will enjoy new classrooms,
de-briefing zones and upgraded hospitality areas. The
reconditioned facility resituates one of downtown Paducahs
most fascinating buildings with a remarkable visitors
entrance and a new conference center (funded by a gift from
an anonymous Paducah donor).

The full scope of this initiative transforms the

simulator infrastructure. It includes:
Four new wheelhouses, each with twelve 65-inch LCD/
LED TV monitors, 8 channels looking forward and 4
channels looking aft;

Visual channels that strengthen close-quarter

maneuvering for locking, docking and vessel transfer
while retaining long-distance perception for bridge and
lock-chamber setup;
Breakthrough night simulation capacity as the new
frontier for maritime education;
Hydrodynamic recalibration of 23 vesselslarge and
small, loaded and unloaded, dry bulk and tank barge
to sync with newest software and provide more realistic
navigation feel to pilots;
Interchangeable traditional steering levers and
emerging azimuth thruster Z-drive propulsion systems.
All of this technology combines to enhance safety on
Americas waterways. It also puts SCI in a position to
perform valuable
feasibility studies,
cost-effectively
meeting safety
standards of industry
representatives and
the Coast Guard.

SCI unveils
the upgraded
infrastructure
and technology
at its renovated
Center in Paducah
at a ceremony on
December 10, 2014.

seamenschurch.org

The Lookout

Fall 2014 3

New Guidelines Help Seafarers Applying for US Visas

Seafarers most frequently asked questions have to do with shore leave in the United States;
consequently, SCI developed online guides to help foreign seafarers navigate the processes
required by current US law.
by Douglas B. Stevenson, Director, Center for Seafarers Rights
Attorney Marc Gorrie helped SCI prepare two online guides for seafarers seeking
visas needed for shore leave in the United States. The United States is one of the
few countries in the world requiring foreign crewmembers of commercial ships
and airplanes to have a visa before they can go ashore. Despite having ratified the
Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic, which prohibits
countries from requiring seafarers to have a visa to go ashore,1 the US continues to
insist that foreign seafarers have a D-1 crewmember visa before they can leave their
vessel in American ports.

The History
United States lawmakers originally established immigration laws to place limitations
on categories of persons allowed to immigrate. The Immigration Act of 1875 was
the first piece of American legislation that limited entry into the country. Later,
the Immigration Act of 1917 recognized that not all foreigners entering the United
States planned to immigrate and created special provisions for foreign seafarers on
ships arriving at US ports. The 1917 Act legitimized seafarers temporary shore leave,
but at the same time required ships masters to present crew lists to immigration
officers and detain all crew on board until inspection by an immigration officer and
medical examiner.
In the Immigration Act of 1924, the United States created a system of visas requiring
foreign immigrants to obtain an immigrant visa to enter the United States. The Act
did not require non-immigrant seafarers to obtain an individual visa; rather, the
vessels crew list served as a visa. The US imposed severe penalties on shipowners if
seafarers did not return to their ships upon sailing. (These penalties were designed
to stop the common practice at the time of shipowners signing on extra crew before
sailing to the United States, knowing that many intended to jump ship.)
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which consolidated a number of
immigration laws into one comprehensive statute, created the D-1 crewmember
visa. It required foreign persons serving in any capacity on board a vessel or aircraft
to obtain a D-1 visa to enter the United States temporarily. In creating the D-1
visa, Congress recognized the importance of seafarers shore leave to international
commerce and wanted to remove unnecessary barriers to their temporary entry into
the United States. At the same time, however, Congress also did not want foreign
seafarers using their status to illegally remain in the United States.

Non-immigrant Visas Today

Since the establishment of the D-1 visa in 1952, shipping and seafaring have
undergone significant changes, making the visa an unnecessary burden to seafarers
obtaining shore leave. As our annualSeafarer Shore Leave Surveyhas shown, the
biggest reason for denying shore leave in the United States is lack of visa. However,
until we can change the laws, seafarers must continue to obtain a visa before sailing
to the United States if they want to go ashore.

1 3.19.1Standard. Crewmembers shall not be required to hold a visa for the purpose of shore leave.

4 The Seamens Church Institute

The Lookout

Fall 2014

Piracy: Not a Thing of the Past

Think Somali piracy is a thing of the
past? That past haunts thousands of
seafarers today; but the reports from
individual seafarers mostly go unnoticed,
as some shipowners leave seafarers high
and dry after releaseignored and
uncompensated. Their stories tell of trying
times in the wake of survival.
SCIs Douglas B. Stevenson, Director
of SCIsCenter for Seafarers Rights,
recently sat down with former
hostages from theMVIceberg 1in
Accra, Ghana to hear about their
experiences and how they find life
two years after release from pirate
captivity. See their video interviews
at http://smschur.ch/sep14voices.
The seafarers from theIceberg 1speak
of the incidents with unambiguous
detail, as if the incidents happened only yesterday. Even though the number
of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia has decreased
since 2011, seafarers and their families continue to deal with the aftermath
of hijackings. The men from theIceberg 1number among the over 5,000
seafarers pirates have captured and held hostage since 2007.
The men interviewed in these four videos served on board theMVIceberg 1,
a Panama-flaggedcargo ship transiting near the Somali Coast in 2010. Somali
pirates captured the vessel in March, and held the crew hostage under harsh
conditions for nearly three yearsthe longest Somali pirates have ever held
any crew. Seafarers recorded in these interviews speak of torture, starvation
and violence.
Since their release, the seafarers have not been paid earned wages nor have
they received any other compensation from their ships Dubai-based owner,
Azul Shipping. The seafarers have survived on charity from their churches,
families and theMaritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Program. These
are proud, skilled seafarers, says interviewer Douglas B. Stevenson. They
dont want charity; they just want to go back to work. Unfortunately, most of
these seafarers have experienced difficulty in obtaining employment.
The question What happens to seafarers after pirate attacks? remains largely
unanswered. SCI has attempted to bring this problem to light for many years.
Seafarers, who have endured unspeakable torment and suffering, frequently
find little help and recourse years after the incidents. How they cope
with life post-piracy and what care they receive when repatriated remains
largely undocumented.
To illuminate the effects of piracy on seafarers, SCI has collected stories from
seafarers following incidents of piracy and published them online atSeafarer
Voices: Piracy on the High Seas, a YouTube video playlist. The videos reveal
seafarers strength and resilience and, for some, the challenges they encounter
in returning to productive lives. Stevenson adds, Very effective therapies
exist for those seafarers who need some help following a traumatic experience,
provided, however, that the appropriate assistance is made available to them.
Watch video interviews on YouTube athttp://smschur.ch/sep14voices. Be
prepared, as you may find some of the accounts difficult to hear.
seamenschurch.org

The Lookout

Upcoming
Special Events
The 15th Annual River Bell
Awards Luncheon
Thursday, December 11, 2014
The Paducah McCracken County
Convention and Expo Center
Paducah, KY
12:00 2:00 pm
The 38th Annual Silver Bell
Awards Dinner
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers
New York, NY
Cocktail Hour 6:00 7:00 pm
Dinner 7:30 pm
SCI Mountain Challenge 2015
September 2427, 2015
Grand Summit at Bethel, ME
Fall 2014 5

SCI Chaplains Gain Access to Deepwater Oilrigs

These days not many people can access the secure areas of maritime workplaces, but few places prove more difficult
to get to than deepwater offshore oil and gas exploration and production facilities. After months of screening
and training, SCI chaplains are now making their way to these remote regions in the middle of the ocean.

Until recently, chaplains for SCI have not strayed

far from shore, serving mariners on vessels close to
riverbanks or in American ports. Earlier this year,
however, SCI initiated a partnership with a major
international offshore drilling contractor to provide
pastoral care, guidance and support to a workforce
carrying out business over a hundred miles away
from land.
Since the expansion of SCIs stateside pastoral care in
2011 to include maritime employees working in the
Gulf of Mexico, SCI has served men and women in
the diverse maritime petrochemical industry. Those
visits have included going to see maritime workers on
tugs and towboats and the unique vessels that supply
offshore drilling rigsbut not the actual drilling
rigs themselves.

employees. On board, companies employ a special team

of safety advisors to ensure men and women work safely.
In this spirit, companieslike the offshore drilling
contractor with whom SCI has partneredinvite
chaplains to supplement the care provisions made for
employees wellbeing in dangerous environments.
Chaplains help workers negotiate the stress and
isolation of working in high-risk areas by providing a
pastoral presence concerned with the spiritual welfare
of persons on board. Additionally, chaplains also assist
the families of the offshore workforce. Earlier this year,

Some 150 miles from land and in waters over 6,000 feet
deep, these rigs reside in the most remote corners of the
Gulf of Mexico. Each rig has typically 150-200 maritime
personnel flown in on specially designed helicopters.
These multi-million dollar oil operations maintain a
high level of security and meticulous standards of safety.
Getting on board a deepwater offshore oilrig is not an
easy task.
It took a while before SCI chaplains could make a
journey out to one of the Gulfs offshore drilling units.
Chaplains Winston Rice and Michael C. Nation
had to pass multiple industry safety tests and checks.
Perhaps the most nail-biting ordeal involved a crane
lifting a mock helicopter over large pool, dropping it
and turning it upside down underwater. Each chaplain
had to prove his ability by kicking out the helicopter
window and swimming outsix times in different types
of positions and seats.
The rigor with which companies screen those who
travel out to these remote areas gives evidence to a high
concern for the safety of the platform operation and
6 The Seamens Church Institute

SCI chaplains responded to a young family dealing with

a tragic death.
In August, SCI Chaplain Winston Rice began a
presence aboard a sixth-generation, ultra deepwater
dual activity drillship in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
Chaplains will make further visits in 2014, including
three additional deepwater dual activity drillships, with
further monthly visits planned to deepwater rigs in the
Gulf beginning in 2015. Maritime workers and their
families can reach SCIs chaplains 24-hours-a-day, seven
days a week.
The Lookout

Fall 2014

The Sinking of the SS

Marine Electric
Retired mariner Gene Kelly shares his harrowing story
of surviving the sinking of one of maritime historys most
notorious ships.
by Johnathan Thayer, Archivist
Last year, shortly after SCI put out a
call for participants in the American
Merchant Marine Veterans Oral
History Project, I received a phone
message from Eugene Kelly, an
alumnus of Massachusetts Maritime
Academy living in Abington, MA.
Gene told me he had a story he
thought we might be interested in.
Back in 1983, his ship, the SS Marine
Electric, carrying coal from Norfolk,
VA, encountered a massive storm off
the coast of Virginia and sank. Gene,
sailing as third mate, was one of just
three survivors. Thirty-one of his
shipmates died.

90%
Do You Depend
on Mariners?
continued from page 1

The large percentage of goods mariners deliver to

the United Statesover 90% of all imports to this
countrycan masquerade as one of those abstract
statisticsthings of which we have no tangible
appreciation. Its a number worth examining,
however. The reality of that imposing number,
that every day we see and touch something a
mariners hard work has delivered, alters our view.
By answering just a few questions about common
household items, one starts to see the handiwork of
mariners everywhere around us.
SCI helps the important people alluded to in
a products made in label. The Institute
changes liveslives that impact not some statistic
of foreign trade, but lives that make a concrete
difference to our daily existence in modern
America. With a bit of luck, this quiz puts this
reality into perspective, one worth sharing with
the world.

The tragedy of the SS Marine Electric

left dozens of family members and
friends to mourn for loved ones
lost at sea, but it also prompted a
thorough investigation that led
to widespread industry reforms
regarding safety at sea. Listen to full clips of Genes story
online at http://seamenschurch-archives.org/sci-ammv.

Why SCI Matters: Emotional and Spiritual Support

for Mariners
In the modern work world, a lot of companies recognize the benefit of emotional support and spiritual care for their
employees. Thats why companies partner with SCI to allow chaplains to visit mariners working on the water. Respecting
the values of individuals from all walks of life,SCIs chaplains, both inland and in port, offer mariners a source of comfort
and care, on ordinary days as well as in times of crisis. Spending months at a time away from their families, working through
holidays, and facing dangerous weather, mariners deal with a unique set of challenges to which few land-dwellers can relate.
SCI chaplains provide a sympathetic ear and spiritual refreshment, giving hardworking men and women a compassionate
one might say heaven-sentresource.
Real people depend on SCIand on youfor support. Give online today at http://donate.seamenschurch.org/give.

seamenschurch.org

The Lookout

Fall 2014 7

8 The Seamens Church Institute

The Lookout

Fall 2014

The Campaign for SCI: Securing the Future of Mariners

by David S. French, Campaign Chair
SCI has long led the worlds organizations serving the maritime industry; but in order for it to
continue to provide these services, it must have a reliable plan in place for the future.
PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE HAS STOOD AT THE CENTER OF SCIS STRATEGY SINCE THE INSTITUTES
founding. Perhaps our maritime roots have kept our Board of Trustees always looking to the horizon, observing the direction
of the changing winds and sea conditions. As other non-profits have scrambled to patch together solutions to keep their
organizations afloat for another year, our Board has sought longer-term answers to help us get through the inconsistent
climate of world financial markets.
The need for vision and stability has driven volunteer
and staff leaders to make The Campaign for SCI: Securing
the Future of Mariners a priority for our organization. The
Campaign increases the size of SCIs investment
portfolio for a strength and stability to underpin
the smooth sailing of the next generation. By
way of a reliable endowment, SCI means to
guarantee we have a good vessel to get us there.

While progress has been impressive, we still have more

work to do. The Campaign calls for gifts at all levels of the
gift chart, and soon we will send out a request to all our
supporters far and wide, asking for support of this
Campaign. No matter the amount of your gift, we
hope you will consider joining others in making
the future of mariners a priority.

Since launching the Campaign earlier this year,

we have seen amazing generosity from those
surrounding and supporting SCIs transformative
initiative to secure a bright future for mariners.
To date, we have raised nearly $5.6 million for
this momentous effortnearly three-quarters of
our Campaign goal of $8 million. We thank all
our wonderful donors to date who know the value
of those who serve us on the rivers and seas.

Ways to Give to SCI

Support the people who deliver the
goods that make our modern way
of life possible.

Donate

Donate online at
donate.seamenschurch.org
or scan this QR code into your
mobiledevice


Use the envelope in this
edition of The Lookout or mail
your check to TheSeamens
Church Institute,
50 Broadway, Floor 26,
New York, NY 10004.

Call 212-349-9090 and make
a contribution over the phone
with your credit card.

Sponsor
SCI provides prominent recognition
to its underwriters. Become a
corporate sponsor and link your
companys philanthropy with
North Americas largest and
most comprehensive mariners
serviceagency.

Please visit http://seamenschurch.org/contribute

for more information about the Campaign,
or email Jennifer Koenig Breen, Director of
Development, at jbreen@seamenschurch.org.

Its time to recognize both mariners and SCIs

important contributions and make sure that the
men and women of the maritime world have a
resource they can depend on for the years ahead.

Volunteer
SCI offers many ways volunteers
can contribute to the work of
the Institute. Call one of our
centers or email volunteer@
seamenschurch.org.

Collect
In addition to handknit scarves
and hats, SCIs Christmastime gift
to mariners includes items found
at most ordinary supermarkets
donated by people like you. To
find out more, contact cas@
seamenschurch.org or visit
ourwebsite.

Follow

Go to http://facebook.com/
seamenschurch and
clicklike.
Follow @seamenschurch
on Twitter.
Check out our photos
at http://www.flickr.com/
photos/seamenschurch/.
And, watch videos from our
work at http://vimeo.com/
channels/scitv.
Remember SCI in your estate
plans. Email legacygiving@
seamenschurch.org for more
information.