Group photo of the Lagos Anglican Bishop with some maritime dignitaries and seafarers that attended the Sea Sunday Service at All Saints Anglican Church, Lekki Lagos.

Chairman of the Mission to Seafarers MTS and former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority NPA, Chief Adebayo Sarumi has said that the MTS Lagos, located in Apapa is strategically poised towards ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of seafarers and other sailors that call at Nigeria’s seaports.

The MTS, an initiative of the Anglican Church, has its world headquarters in London and Africa’s regional headquarters in South Africa, and found in all shipping nations, is a facility where sailors from all over the world, who bring vessels to the country are kept while their vessels are being discharged or dry-docked. The facility is designed to offer good relaxing place for the seafarers after several months of trauma, nightmares associated with sea voyages. In addition to offering relaxation services, it also provides healthcare, counseling and religious/spiritual functions to the seafarers to prepare them for the next long voyage.

Speaking at the 2024 edition of the annual Sea Sunday Service with the theme: ‘The unfailing love of God at sea’ held at the All Souls Anglican Church, Lekki Phase 1, Sarumi said: “With over 3,000 ships visiting Lagos Ports annually, the MTS Lagos is strategic to supporting the invaluable seafarers and help calm the storms in their lives.”

According to him, depriving the Seafarers of their shore leave due to imagined perceptions of insecurity has been managed with recent renewed visits of seafarers to the MTS Centre.

He however noted that these visits are trickles compared to the hordes of over 6,000 seafarers who travel thousands of nautical miles monthly only to experience the joy of a nation eager to receive them from the bows of their ships.

The former NPA-boss called on companies, organisations and individuals to support the work of MTS through donations to enable it provide succour to the Seafarers, many of who have been traumatized due to experience of the peril of the sea, which has become part of their daily lives.

“We therefore eagerly encourage institutions to include the Mission to Seafarers, Lagos Station in their itinerary of operations and budgets, as this would not only mutually strengthen our social responsibility initiatives, but also greatly improve stewed perceptions”, Sarumi said.

Meanwhile, Bishop of Lagos, Anglican Communion, Rt Rev Ifedola Senasu Gabriel, who assured seafarers visiting the that their spiritual and material wellbeing is of great importance to the MTS Lagos, said Sea Sunday is a significant day for the Anglican Church.

He traced the history of Mission To Seafarers back to the efforts of Rev John Ashely, an Anglican Priest, who at Bristol saw that Seafarers were not being catered for and decided to go into the ships to preach to them, sell Bibles to them and also pray for them; thus birthing what is now known today as Mission to Seafarers in the Anglican Church.

Bishop Ifedola said: “So it means that we care for every soul at sea. This is because they are facing a lot over there such as turbulent waves; unfavourable weather conditions; they are far from their families and different types of things happen to them.

“So we remember them, we pray for them, we raise funds for them, and at the end of the day, whenever they come ashore, we have a place for them in Apapa where we take them to.

“Those that are sick, we give them medical care; those that are hungry, we give them food. Those that are homeless that don’t know what would happen to them, we still give accommodation and help them in one way or the other.”

The Cleric however encouraged the Seafarers to keep doing their good job at sea in moving goods globally, even as he prayed for God’s continuous protection upon them in the course of their jobs.

Also speaking at the occasion, the Chaplain, Mission to Seafarers, Rev Canon Francis Aduroja said Sea Sunday is a significant day for the Seafarers and the MTS. He disclosed that the Sea Sunday is held in over 200 centres across the world in the Anglican Church.

In his message to seafarers, the chaplain said: “My message to them is to know that they are not forgotten; they are not abandoned. They should know that there are some people outside there that care about them; that pray for them; that are concerned about their wellbeing physically, spiritually and emotionally.

“That is why I have a team of sea visitors. So regularly, we go onboard, meet with them, pray with them if necessary, counsel them, ask them about their wellbeing, their families back home. And easily, they open up and we offer necessary support spiritually, materially and otherwise.”

A highpoint of the event was the presentation of Awards to four notable maritime dignitaries in recognition of their immense support to the Mission to Seafarers.

The awardees include immediate past Managing Director of NPA, Mohammed Bello-Koko, Vice Chairman, ENL Consortium, Princess Vicky Haastrup, Group Chairman, SIFAX Group, Dr Taiwo Afolabi and Senior Partner, Dentons ACAS Law, Mrs. Olufunke Agbor, SAN.