Stories

A Sailors’ Society port chaplain in Ukraine contacted us about a Ukrainian seafarer who was currently in hospital in Colombia. The seafarer had lost four fingers due to an accident on board and was taken ashore by the Colombian Navy, but he did not speak the local language so communication was a problem. The chaplain only had the name of the hospital in English.

Our Spanish-speaking helpline officer found out the Spanish name of the hospital, its contact details and the room where the seafarer was. One of our Russian speakers then immediately contacted the seafarer to offer emotional support and see if there was any other way we could help. We established his medical situation and most urgent needs and, with his permission, we contacted the nearest seafarer centre and local ITF inspectorate for additional support.

After we coordinated with Stella Maris, the seafarer was visited by one of their representatives who helped him get in touch with his family in Ukraine. Meanwhile, our Russian speakers kept in touch with the seafarer to support him through this stressful time. We continued to support him until he had surgery and returned home to his family in the Ukraine.