About Mission to Seafarers Dampier Seafarers Centre Flying Angel Seaman Club

The Dampier Seafarers Centre is a not for profit welfare charity serving merchant crews in the Port of Dampier.

Iron ore vessel at dawn, Parker Point terminal, courtesy of John Lynch, MSWA Marine Pilots

We are also known as:

The Mission to Seafarers Dampier

The Seaman’s Club Dampier

The Flying Angel Dampier

Our Mission

Our heritage is one of Christian charity and we hold true to the foundation Jesus set of loving people who are often overlooked by others.

For the glory of God, the Dampier Seafarers Centre intends to provide a physically, emotionally, and spiritually safe place for Seafarers, regardless of rank, nationality or beliefs.

What We Do

Through ship visits and our drop-in Centre we provide welfare and emergency assistance, practical support and need items, communication services and a friendly welcome to all ship crews and visitors at Dampier Port. We are able to connect Seafarers with many organisations that can provide more help to them than they would be able to find on their own.

The Dampier Seafarers Centre seeks to help Seafarers in all kinds of practical ways. This often starts with a warm welcome. Seafarers are away from loved ones for a long time and may face loneliness, health problems or even injury. The hospitality from the chaplains, assistants and volunteers may be the only onshore help and encouragement they receive.

We try and connect visiting Seafarers with loved ones through the internet and telephone. Our centre also provides a place where seafarers can chat about anything and strike up conversations with someone who isn’t a crew member. To this end the Dampier Seafarers Centre aims to be a place where seafarers can meet people who will really listen to them.

Aerial photo of 5 terminals our Centre services (L to R): Mistaken Island; East Intercourse Island; Parker Point; Mermaid Marine; and PPA (Bulk Liquids Berth and Dampier Cargo Wharf)

How We Do It

Dampier Seafarers Centre is a part of Mission to Seafarers International which has operations in over 200 ports in 50 countries caring for Seafarers. It is in connection to this global network of chaplains, staff and volunteers we offer support to Seafarers.

www.missiontoseafarers.org

We seek to help Seafarers with their needs and assist with issues that they face like communication, fatigue, mental health, abandonment, piracy and shipwreck. To that end, we enjoy the support of the port authorities and local critical investors in the export trade as well as the surrounding businesses and assistance organisations in all that we do.

Locally we are supported by the Anglican Church of Australia, and specifically to the Diocese of North Western Australia, and are a part of its mission to honour God in all we do.

The Chaplain

The Mission to Seafarers is a mission society of the Anglican Communion and it is the local Anglican Diocese that appoints chaplains at each Centre.

The port chaplains carry out the vital role of delivering professional welfare services for Seafarers at the front line.

The Chaplain at the Dampier Seafarers Centre fulfils three roles: a ship visiting chaplain; a centre based chaplain for those dropping in; and the not-for-profit organisation’s Managing Director. The Chaplain provides the foundation of the welfare services provided and the leadership of those that serve in the Centre.

The role can be summed up by how a Chaplain visits Seafarers.

Salt vessel departing Mistaken Island terminal

The first person a Chaplain meets when boarding a vessel is the watchman. Their role is to determine the purpose of all visitors and to communicate that to the captain and necessary crew. In reality, it is an expectation that anyone who boards a vessel is more work for everyone on the ship.

Many people visit a vessel each time it comes to a port. The Pilot, Surveyors, Shipping Agents, Customs, Quarantine, and Providores are some. However, these visitors are not on board to develop personal relationships with the crew. They are there for safety, security and compliance reasons which, although serving to enhance the crew’s overall welfare, are not focused on a seafarer’s individual physical, mental and spiritual welfare.

However, when the Chaplain enters a ship, they are not more work for the Seafarer, in fact they are in the unique position of being the opposite. The Chaplain is there for the Seafarers, for their benefit, welfare and needs.

In one way the Chaplain is not there for themselves, or any organisation, when they visit a ship. As a Christian boarding a ship, the Chaplain is there for Jesus. They do as he would. This will do nothing but benefit those whom the Chaplain is there to see. Being there for Jesus means that the work of the Chaplain is the work of showing love and care to those who receive none.

“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” James 2:17.