Two port chaplains from international maritime charity Sailors’ Society reached out to more than 6,000 seafarers in Leith and Greenock ports last year.
Pauline Robertson and Becky Haldane provide practical and emotional support to the men and women who dock at the ports.
Pauline said: “Seafarers are away from loved ones for up to a year at a time, so can often feel quite lonely. We provide them with a friendly face, news from home and welfare support.”
The support offered includes everything from providing free Wi-Fi and lifts to local amenities, to offering counselling in times of crisis.
Pauline recently supported the crew of the stranded ship MV Alexander Tvardovskiy during its month-long detention in Leith port. Pauline visited the nine men and one woman regularly, providing them with company, food, Wi-Fi access and phone cards.
Pauline added: “This situation is not uncommon sadly. We work all over the world supporting seafarers and their families with everything from abandonment to education.
“The issues seafarers can face have not changed that much in the 200 years that Sailors’ Society has been around. We have been a listening ear all that time and will continue to care for this invisible workforce that we all depend on for almost everything we use every day.”
Pauline, Becky (above) and their fellow Sailors’ Society chaplains reach out to 1,000 seafarers plus their families in more than 90 ports around the world each day.