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Visiting ships |
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| When a ship has tied
up in port - any port - it gets visitors – lots of them. They are,
however, not of the really welcome type. It is port officials,
surveyors of cargo and vessel, inspectors from owners and
charterers, customs- and immigration officers who are honouring the
crew with their presence. They all have two things in common: they
are important and they demand the crew's time. |
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| In the old days when
a ship hat arrived in port after a long trip the seamen could relax,
enjoy a night's uninterrupted sleep and, above all, could go ashore
to have a look around town. Hasn't that changed? |
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| Stays in port have
shrunk to hours instead of days, and crew numbers have shrunk just
as much, while the work load has increased disproportionally. Shore
leave is short and quite often impossible. That's where the Seamen's
Mission tries to help. The deacon pays a visit of a different kind.
He tries to find out what the crew wishes or needs. Does someone
want to go to town? Do people want to telephone home an reasonable
rates? Does someone want to go shopping? Maybe somebody would like
to talk about their personal affairs with someone who has time for
it. Above all, the deacon tries to visit when it suits the crew. |
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| If there is no need
on board for all this or no time available, the deacon or his
representative leaves the mission's leatflet, some newspapers, sim
cards, top up cards, etc. They also leave information how to contact
the Seamen's Club in case somebody changes his mind. |
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| The deacon, however,
is not a union representative-in-disguise, but there are lots of
problems that have nothing to do with contracts of employment or
wage scales: There, he is usally able to help. |
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