Mailing Address
123 East 15th Street
New York, NY 10003
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Federal Tax ID:
CONTACTS FOR SEAFARERS & PORT MISSION
Our port chaplains and ship visitors call on ships arriving in Albany, NY, Baltimore, MD, Duluth, MN, New Haven, CT, and New York & New Jersey.
Email them at port-mission@sihnyc.org or contact them at the phone or WhatsApp numbers included below.​​​​​
Port of Albany, NY
Chaplain Rev. Kate Drefke. Phone and WhatsApp number: +1 (518) 426-9153
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Chaplain Rev. Lowell Chilton. Phone and WhatsApp number: +1 (518) 285-0441​
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Port of Baltimore, MD
Chaplain Rev. Vitalii Guz. BISC’s Phone and WhatsApp number: + 1 (410) 685-1240​
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Port of Duluth, MN
Chaplain Rev. Douglas Paulson. TPMS’ Phone: +1 (218) 727-5897, WhatsApp: + 1 (218) 343-8801​
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Port of New Haven, CT
Ship Visitor Tim Marzik. Phone and WhatsApp number: + 1 (203) 543-7031​
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Port of New York & New Jersey
Chaplain Rev. Jonathan Westerlund. Phone: + 1 (201) 448-7763, WhatsApp: +1 (631) 903-1206
German Seamen's Mission: Chaplain Rev. Arnd Braun-Storck. Phone and WhatsApp number: + 1 (203) 570-7759.
9O%
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of world trade transported by shipping industry
1,892,720
Seafarers worldwide
150
Seafarers Nationalities
12,522
Seafarers visited in 2023
1,094
Merchant ships boarded in 2023
2,061
Mariners transported in 2023
​We live in a global village. The international shipping industry is responsible for the transport of around 90% of world trade. It is said that without seafarers, half the world would starve and the other half would freeze.
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​Over 50,000 merchant ships are trading internationally, transporting everything from bananas to cars. The world fleet is registered in over 150 nations, and manned by over a million seafarers of almost every nationality. Generally, these mariners have contracts for ten months or more with modest salaries and few benefits. For those long periods, the seafarer works in virtual isolation in the middle of the ocean facing risks of piracy, abusive employers and co-workers, depression, and accidents.
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Time in ports is short ranging from a few hours to three days depending on the cargo. In a US port, a foreign seafarer will be regarded as a national security threat and is often denied shore leave. Seafarers International House Port Chaplains and volunteers assist mariners by providing WiFi hotspots to connect them to their families and friends, and for those that are able to leave the ship they offer transport to medical facilities or shopping malls. Many crew members also order necessities online and have the port chaplains deliver them when they visit.
Most importantly, Seafarers International House staff spend time to lend an ear, offer council, meet spiritual needs, and advocate on behalf of seafarers regardless of faith or nationality. ​
RESOURCES FOR LUTHERAN PORT MINISTRY
Tagalog devotional “Tubig Salita” (Water Words by the Rev. Robin Dale Mattison and translated by the Rev. Teresita Valeriano) is a resource for Filipino seafarers sponsored by the ELCA’s Ethnic Specific and Multicultural Ministries and shepherded by the former Lutheran Advocates for Maritime Ministry. Copies are free and we ask you to help with postage.
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For more information contact Pastor Marsh Drege.
