(Image: literature distributed by The Mariner’s Club, Hong Kong, Facebook).
by Kevin Walker, NAMMA, with Jason Zuidema, NAMMA/ICMA
Seafaring-related publications are invaluable aids to seafarers’ ministry. Maritime news sources keep seafarers and ministries up-to-date on the shipping industry and each other. Print resources for seafarers are great to hand out in ships. Most importantly, having access to the many seafarers’ welfare publications means that one need not feel alone in one’s ministry. There are many such publications to be made use of. While of these publications are so prevalent that they cannot be missed, however, there are others which a new seafarers’ welfare worker might miss out on because of limited exposure or not having the time to learn about them.
This guide is meant to be a one-stop counter this problem, describing the major publications in seafarers’ welfare and giving information about how to find them. Each publication covered has a short description with examples of the kind of content to be found in it, and key information about each publication is included in the table below for easy comparison.
Please help us update this list if you see publications or information that are missing.
Publications Head-to-Head
| Publication | Intended Audience | Availability | Language | Organization |
| Seafarers’ Bulletin | Seafarers, esp. with labour problems | Yearly, available in print (44p) and for download | Published in English, Arabic, Chinese, German, Russian, Spanish, and Turkish | International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) Seafarers’ Trust |
| Telegraph | People involved in the shipping industry, esp. British, Swiss, and Dutch seafarers | Available in print monthly for £42 to £84 per year (67p), free for download; articles released regularly online | Part in English and part in Dutch | Nautilus International |
| Chart & Compass | People interested in the work of the Sailors’ Society | Yearly (18p), available online | English | Sailors’ Society |
| Stella Maris Magazine | Seafarers with spiritual needs | Monthly, available in print (14p) to AOS members and for download | Published in English and Ukrainian | Apostleship of the Sea |
| The Sea | Seafarers, seafarers’ welfare workers | Bi-monthly, available in print (16p) for free to seafarers’ ministries around the world | English | The Mission to Seafarers |
| FAN (Flying Angel News) | People interested in the work of the Mission to Seafarers | Bi-monthly, available in print (16p) | ||
| Bølgen | People interested in the Danish Seamen’s Mission | Monthly (8p), issues online at Issuu | Danish | Danish Seamen’s Mission (Indenlandsk Sømandsmissionen) |
| Waves | Seafarers, especially religious seafarers | Bi-monthly (16p), issues online at Issuu | English and Danish | |
| Diepgang | Seafarers and those interested in maritime life | Quarter-yearly (40p), online and in print for €25 | Dutch | Nederlandse Zeevarendencentrale and Stichting Pastoraat Werkers Overzee |
| Lass fallen Anker | People interested in the German Seamen’s Mission | Yearly (36p), in print, online at Yumpu | German | German Seamen’s Mission (Deutsche Seemannsmission) |
| Festmachen | Christian seafarers | Monthly, in print for €5 | ||
| The MARE Report | Seafarers’ welfare workers | Available in print yearly, articles released online year-round; in print here | English | North American Maritime Ministry Association (NAMMA) |
Seafarers’ Bulletin is unique with respect to the number of languages in which it is available, and includes an extremely useful eight-page guide to dealing with unfair labour practices and contacting ITF inspectors around the world. Its articles are a mix of news, profiles of ITF workers, and stories about ITF activities, but its best content is its discussions of problems facing seafarers and what can be done to help.
Sample content from Bulletin 2019:
“Seafarers Detained for Years finally Freed”
“Abandonment: Maritime’s Shame”
“Indian Unions Protest over Relaxation of Cabotage”
Telegraph functions more like a newspaper for a seafaring audience. It is published every month and has lots articles on new developments in shipping and shipping-related book reviews, photo contests, and crosswords. Telegraph is primarily attuned to developments as they affect British, Dutch, and Swiss seafarers (even including a few articles in Dutch), but most of the articles are of value for anyone in the industry.
Sample content from Telegraph 03/2019:
“Insurers Warn over Misdeclared Cargo”
“Has the MLC Changed your Life?”
“Seashaken Houses by Tom Nancollas: an Elegant tribute to a Nation’s Iconic Beacons”
Chart & Compass is a yearly publication by the Sailors’ Society. Its content is mostly on the Society’s activities and new programs, so it is probably of most interest to donors and members, but could also be of value for those in seafarers’ welfare looking for new ways to innovate. It also contains sudoku and a word search.
Sample content from Chart & Compass 2018:
“200 Years of Changing Lives”
“What to Do in a Crisis” (a report on the Sailors’ Society’s work on piracy)
“Rammed by a Whale”
Stella Maris is a new spiritual resource for seafarers by the Roman Catholic Apostleship of the Sea. Each issue contains devotional scriptural readings and meditations for the following Sundays. Other features include short articles on wellbeing, inspirational stories, religious art, and prayers. The religious materials are almost always equally accessible to seafarers of all denominations.
Sample Content from Stella Maris 02/2019:
“Sunday at Sea” (Scripture readings with commentaries by Fr. Colum Kelly) for 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th, and 31st March
“Port Focus: Cape Town, South Africa”
“From Management to Ministry: the Faith Journey of Deacon Doug Duncan”
The Sea, published by the Anglican Mission to Seafarers, is a good balance of industry news and other content, a lot of which is of value to Anglican and non-Anglican seafarer alike. Most of the content is aimed at seafarers and people involved in the industry, with a few articles on the work of the Mission around the world. The Sea also stands out for having a bit of devotional content in Filipino.
Sample Content from The Sea 02/2019:
“New Guidelines Target Seafarer Welfare Provisions”
“Dispelling Autonomy ‘Myths’”
“A Hearty ‘Bienvenido’” (update on Mission work in the region of Latin America)
“Lesson in Encouragement/Aral sa paghihimok”
Sudoku and a maritime-themed word jumble
FAN (Flying Angel News) is another Mission to Seafarers publication, dedicated specifically to news about what its missions are up to in their regions and how its money gets used. A lot of FAN’s content is Mission-specific, but chaplains who want to know how ministry to seafarers look in other parts of the world may find the stories interesting.
Sample Content from FAN 02/2019:
“Welcome to Liberia” (a profile of Rev. Samuel Siaffa’s ministry)
“Giving Update: Christmas”
“Inspiring Volunteers in Asia”
Bølgen (approx. BEHL-yin) is the head of a family of publications by Indenlandsk Sømandsmissionen, each named after the word for “wave” in a different language (the third, Malik, is published in Greenlandic). Bølgen is primarily a newsletter for people interested in the Danish Seaman’s Mission’s work. Many of its articles are about volunteering opportunities and other ways to help out, with some news on Mission and devotional material (some shared with Waves) thrown in.
Sample Content from Bølgen 03/2019:
“Ikke alle dage er lige – men Gud er den sammen” (“Not all days are alike, but God is the same”)
“Hjælp med X-togtmission i Aarhus – Konkret indsats og taknemligt mandskab” (“Help with the cruise ship mission in Aarhus – Concrete actions and grateful staff”)
“Vil du bede med?” (“Do you want to pray with us?”)
Waves is the English sister publication to Bølgen. Like Bølgen, Waves’ content is a mix of devotional material and reports on the Mission’s work, but is more topical and directed at seafarers – for instance, the January 2019 issue was all about food in missions and on ship galleys, with tips for cooks and biblical perspectives on food, while the March 2019 issue was much more about Christian faith, including prayers and an article explaining Christianity for seafarers who might be less acquainted with it.
Sample content from Waves January 2019:
“Greenland brings sailor ashore”
“This is Christianity”
“Standing up for the sailor – A visit from Taiwan”
Lass fallen Anker is the Deutsche Seemannsmission’s publication reporting on the work it does around the world. Most of its articles (all in German) are about how seamen’s centers work, so it is probably of most benefit for publicity and volunteers, but one might get ideas about what to do in one’s own center by reading about what the Seemannsmission is doing.
Sample content from Lass fallen Anker 2017:
“SOS im Mittelmeer” (“SOS in the Mediterranean”, the role of seafarers in the Mediterranean refugee crisis)
“Landratten Wilkommen” (“Land-rats Welcome”, a look at a seafarers’ center in Bremerhaven where tourists can overnight and meet seafarers)
Festmachen is the Deutsche Seemannsmission’s devotional publication for seafarers. Every month gets a scripture passage and a meditation for German-speaking Christian seafarers.
Festmachen 08/2018:
Exposition of John 4:16 about unconditional love and hospitality in seafarers’ centers.
09/2018:
Exposition of Eccl. 3:11 about the differences between the human perspective on suffering and the perspective of God’s providence.
Diepgang (approx. DEEP-hung) is the Nederlandse Zeevarendencentrale’s publication for seafarers. The Zeevarendencentrale’s website describes Diepgang’s purpose as “raising deper philosophical themes in an accessible way.” This takes the form of short, mostly light-hearted articles reflecting on seafaring life. There is some religious content, but it is presented more from a human interest perspective – Diepgang would be good reading for any Dutch speaker interested in seafaring.
Sample content from Diepgang January 2019
“Je moet je publiek lezen” (“You Have to Read Your Audience,” a write-up of the seafarers’ center at Terneuzen)
“Boegbeelden” (“Figureheads,” a historical survey of figureheads as works of art)
“Rituelen zijn sterker dan taal en cultuur” (“Rituals are Stronger than Language and Culture,” a port chaplain’s reflections on his work)
The MARE Report, (approx. MAH-ray) published by the North American Maritime Ministry Association, in partnership with ICMA, is specifically for supporting seafarers’ welfare workers. Its content focuses on ways in which ministry to seafarers can be improved, aspects of life at sea less known to seafarers, and the activities of NAMMA and its members.
Sample Content from the MARE Report 2018:
“Challenges and Rewards of a Faith-based Approach to Seafarers’ Ministry”
“Stowaways, Seafarers, and Ship Security in Insecure Ports”
“Challenges to Seafarers’ Welfare in the Caribbean”