To mark the Year of the Seafarer, the GAC Group has offered its support to international maritime welfare charity the Sailors’ Society, facilitating its global distribution network in aid of the organisation.
Every year the Sailors’ Society receives more than 20,000 warm woolly hats, deemed an essential item of clothing for mariners, all knitted by volunteers, and this year these will be distributed free of charge to seafarers at locations as far as Brazil and Russia, courtesy of GAC’s global network.
In the IMO’s designation of 2010 as Year of the Seafarer, the industry has been encouraged to pay tribute to the vital role mariners play in global trade, encouraging young people to enter careers at sea and promoting greater understanding of the numerous issues seafarers face.
As part of this worldwide effort, GAC boarding officers will also share directories of the charity’s contact details with ships’ captains and crews, providing seafarers and their families with access to a valuable source of practical and emotional support at times of need.
GAC Group President Lars Safverstrom, said: “We have been supporting the Sailors’ Society for some years, participating in fundraising events and making Christmas donations. Now, as we welcome the Year of the Seafarer, this new partnership takes that support a strategic step further.”
Jan Webber, Director of Fundraising at the Sailors’ Society, remarked that the charity is “thrilled to be working with one of the world’s leading shipping, logistics, and marine services providers.” She added: “We are very happy that it is reaching out to support the seafarers we all rely on. That goes a long way to enriching sailors’ lives and replacing their isolation with a real sense of belonging to a world community of mariners.”
