The Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Fund (MPHRF), administered by ISWAN, provides grants to seafarers and their families who have been affected by incidents of maritime piracy, armed robbery and hostage-taking.
Applications are encouraged from any seafarer, seafarers’ welfare organisation, or seafarers’ families, where an incident of piracy has caused hardship.
Thousands of seafarers have been held hostage by pirates and most shipping companies have ensured that the seafarers and their families do not suffer financially as a result of piracy, on top of the trauma of attack and captivity. However, in some cases companies have become bankrupt due to piracy or have left seafarers and their families otherwise unsupported. This can lead to additional suffering, hardship and trauma for the seafarers’ families during the period of captivity, homecomings to impoverished families, and no support for re-employment or rehabilitation.
The MPHRF can help by providing grants to seafarers and their families for expenses such as: medical care, counselling, travel costs, school fees for their children, rent when the family is faced with eviction and, in extreme cases, food and household expenses.
Apply now
Applications for the MPHRF may be submitted by a welfare organisation, or in person by the seafarer or family, by email to [email protected].
- An explanation of the situation/need and how and when the situation came about. This narrative must confirm that the person in need is a seafarer or an immediate family member of a seafarer who is, or has been, directly affected by piracy and armed robbery.
- An explanation of how the need can be met (e.g. by counselling, medical procedure, or the purchase of travel or similar).
- The full monetary cost of meeting that need.
- The full amount requested from the Fund.
