Sing for Seafarers

We are thrilled to release our single, 'Sailing', a cover of the song made iconic by Rod Stewart performed by our global virtual choir. The single and music video are both out now. To donate to our 'Sing for Seafarers' campaign to support seafarers globally, click here.

For more information about our Sing for Seafarers initiative, please get in touch using the form below.

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We are delighted to be collaborating with leading maritime charities Stella Maris, Sailors' Society, The Seafarers’ Charity and The Mission to Seafarers, with additional support from Royal Museums Greenwich, International Chamber of Shipping and the UK Chamber of Shipping to raise awareness and funds for seafarers globally. The single and music video is being created with the support of multi-platinum record producer George Shilling, award-winning film director Athena Xenidou, and the Ince in-house band.

Our single is out now, released to mark the International Day of the Seafarer. All proceeds from the sale of the single and donations to the project's fundraising page will be split equally among the four charities. The single will be downloadable from iTunes, Apple Music and Amazon. The music video is also available on our YouTube Channel, watch here. To donate to our project and raise money for charities supporting seafarers globally, click here.

1.7m

seafarers worldwide; serving across over 61,000 ships (Source: BIMCO)

90%

of global trade is operated by seafarers (Source: Mission to Seafarers)

400k

seafarers stranded due to pandemic, as of December 2020 (Source: IMO)

6.64

out of 10 is the average happiness score for seafarers (Source: Happy at Sea)

8%

of seafarers feel valued in their role as essential sea workers (Source: Lloyd's Register}

In partnership with:

Why is this cause so important?

With over 150 years of experience of working in the maritime industry and a number of former mariners on our team, Ince has a deep connection with the maritime industry and an understanding of the critical role of seafarers. Crews are the heartbeat of the industry and the key workers who operate on the frontline. Although shipping is digitalising, and vessels are becoming increasingly sophisticated, the dedication of seafarers who operate fleets year round, whatever the weather, ensures that voyages go ahead safely and efficiently to move goods where they need to be.

While crew welfare is a priority for many ship owners and operators, the COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented operational challenges and a humanitarian crisis at sea. Of the world’s 1.7 million seafarers, hundreds of thousands have been left stranded on board their vessels for up to nearly two years, working well beyond the expiry of their initial contracts. In some cases, many have been unable to reliably connect online to communicate face-to-face with their families and loved ones.

Sing for Seafarers 2021

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How do we want to make a difference?

We want to make the voices of the seafarers heard; and raise as much money as possible to support the dedicated work of Stella Maris, Sailors' Society, The Seafarers’ Charity and The Mission to Seafarers. Through Sing for Seafarers, we really want to really raise awareness of the role of the seafarer and the unprecedented hardships they have suffered as a result of the pandemic.

We also want to increase awareness of the new 'Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change'; which calls on government bodies to take urgent action to safeguard the rights and welfare of seafarers, with four critical actions to address the crisis:

Seafarers must be recognised as ‘key workers’ and given priority access to Covid-19 vaccines

This is in recognition of the crucial role they play in keeping global supply chains moving and providing critical goods to the healthcare front line as well as consumers and businesses.

Establish and implement gold standard health protocols based on existing best practice

Therefore minimising the risk of Covid-19, to build trust that crew changes can be carried out in a safe manner, and to ensure that the measures taken can be universally accepted.

Increase collaboration between ship operators and charterers to facilitate crew changes

This collaboration should be based on high-quality health protocols and a shared responsibility and transparency, to ensure that necessary crew changes can be carried out with the least impact possible in terms of cost and delays. This will create benefits for all by minimising the risk of Covid-19 spread on vessels, minimizing the risk of disruptions to global supply chains, as well as contributing to maritime safety and the wellbeing of seafarers.

Ensure air connectivity between key maritime hubs for seafarers

This will be achieved by working closely with the aviation industry to ensure that airlift capacity is established between major crew changing hubs and seafaring nations. And in addition, establishing a universally accepted and harmonised framework of standards for the validation of trusted health data for seafarers to facilitate border crossing and ensure the long-term resilience of air connectivity.

How can you support and donate to the cause?

Our single will be available to download on iTunes, Apple Music and Amazon, where all proceeds from the sale of the single and donations to the project's fundraising page will be split equally among the four charities. The music video is also available to watch on our YouTube Channel, watch here. Please donate to our project and help us raise money for charities supporting seafarers globally, click here.

Who is behind Sing for Seafarers?

Ince: A trusted partner with a leading maritime law practice and dedicated team of legal and business services professionals across 21 offices in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

Royal Museums Greenwich: Home to the National Maritime Museum and Cutty Sark, they are dedicated to enriching people’s understanding of the sea and welcomed 2.65 million visitors in 2018-19. From 17 May 2021, the National Maritime Museum are hosting their free Exposure: Lives at Sea photography exhibition; which explores what life is really like for those who work at sea today through a series of photographs taken by those working in the maritime industry.

The Mission to Seafarers:The Mission is on call 365 days a year providing help for seafarers in over 200 ports around the world. In 2019 they visited 75,220 ships and encountered 376,000 seafarers on board with 435,000 visits to their 121 centres across the globe.

Sailors’ Society: With more than 200 years’ experience supporting seafarers in ports, Sailors’ Society also works on the ground with seafaring families and communities in need. The charity has responded to the pandemic by expanding its groundbreaking mental health and wellbeing programme, Wellness at Sea, offering free wellness training, advice and support to seafarers, their families and shore staff. Sailors’ Society reaches out to more than 23,000 beneficiaries every month around the globe through its network of chaplains, 24/7 helplines and online initiatives.

The Seafarers’ Charity: Doing more for seafarers. And doing it even better. The Seafarers’ Charity (formerly Seafarers UK) have been improving the lives of seafarers and their families for over 100 years. The charity started as the King George’s Fund for Sailors, providing vital assistance in troubled times. Today, they are evolving guided by the same powerful vision. Through grant giving, they are bringing about truly life-changing impact for many who work – or have worked – at sea, and their families. Alongside this they are also using funding, collaboration, research and advocacy to tackle the root causes of seafarer hardship and disadvantage in the UK and around the world.

Stella Maris: 100 years after their foundation in Glasgow, they are the largest ship visiting network in the world, with a global network of over 1,000 chaplains and volunteers in 334 ports spread across 59 countries. Each year this remarkable team conducts around 70,000 ship visits to provide welfare services, advice, friendship, practical and pastoral care to all seafarers, regardless of nationality, belief or race.

Donate to the Sing for Seafarers charities today to support seafarers globally

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