MEET THE FOLKS behind maritime commerce, a trillion-dollar-per-year industry that drives the global economy. Seafarers and inland river mariners who work on the world’s oceans and on the American inland river system sometimes go unnoticed, but their efforts make a big difference in our world.
The Challenges
Mariners encounter many dangers and difficulties unique to their profession. For mariners, working conditions remain remarkably similar to what they were when SCI was founded in 1834: piracy, limited access to shoreside services, and isolation. The needs of the average seafarer have also evolved with the growth of maritime commerce. Today’s mariner works in a relentless environment, experiencing problems relating to 21st-century technology, economic demands, and security concerns.
These men and women function as part of an international merchant marine. Without mariners’ service agencies like the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI), no other far-reaching, formal support infrastructure would exist for these hardworking people. SCI performs a critical role, providing mariners with the assistance they need far from home and acting as their advocate when they need help.
The Institute
The Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) serves the hardworking men and women laboring on the world’s oceans and inland rivers. With their work, these individuals fuel the global economy and make our way of life possible as they spend months at sea or on rivers away from their families, friends, and homes.
With close relationships to governments and industry, SCI has shaped its support services to meet the challenges facing today’s mariner. From the provision of hospitality services at our Centers to operating the world’s only full-time and free legal aid program for merchant mariners, training mariners on world-class simulators used in SCI’s maritime education centers, and even delivering handknit holiday gifts for mariners, SCI provides an indispensible array of services to mariners working around the world.
Get Involved
Because the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) serves a diverse population of mariners, we value the varied contributions of supporters.
SCI depends upon financial assistance in order to continue serving so many people. If you would like to make a donation in support of SCI’s work, click the green DONATE button on this page.
Every day, volunteers of varying ages and abilities assist SCI as we work around the world. Some people volunteer through regular visits to SCI centers; others serve in their own churches or homes. There are many ways volunteers can contribute to the work of SCI. Learn more here.