By Lawrie Corda | Deputy Harbour Master/Manager Compliance and Planning
Based on his speech from the Annual Safe and Efficient Port Operations Forum, September 4, 2026.
 
At industry forums like SEPOF, we spend a lot of time discussing port and shipping problems and solutions. Today, I want to focus on something that underpins every operation: the seafarers - the men and women who make shipping happen.
As Chair of the Seafarers Welfare Committee Sydney, and as a seafarer who spent 22 years at sea, I want to encourage everyone to work more closely together because although seafarer welfare organisations do critical work, we will have better results for seafarers if we all work together.

It is worth recognising that shipping lines as their employers play a central role in caring for their crews at sea – and some do better than others.  They recruit, train and choose what level of international standards to apply for seafarers who spend months away from family and their normal support networks. But too often that care stops when a ship reaches port even though shore leave is so essential.

If shipping lines once again take a seat at the table and become more actively involved in supporting the welfare networks that help their crews onshore, then seafarers will be the ones to benefit. This includes shipping industries and terminal operators getting involved in local port welfare committees around Australia and supporting the organisations who deliver practical services to visiting seafarers.

The shipping industry has evolved significantly over recent decades. Expectations around mental health, crew wellbeing, have improved considerably. I also wish to acknowledge that there is also some excellent work done especially in Sydney by local shipping agents, our first point of contact whenever an issue arises.

Let me share a recent example that shows the quality of care that can be extended to seafarers when organisations work together. In July, a young second officer suffered a severe stroke caused by a blood clot while on board his ship at DP World. The terminal immediately sent a paramedic and he was rushed to Prince of Wales Hospital where he received lifesaving treatment.
While he was in intensive care, his company arranged for his wife to fly to Australia so she could be by his side but the visa took three weeks to be approved. In the meantime, Mission to Seafarers Chaplains visited and supported him, helping with communication. After around six weeks in hospital, they were recently able to return home to the Philippines.

It is a powerful example of different parts of our industry responding quickly and compassionately when a seafarer needed help.
Shipping lines remain central to the welfare of their crews, but welfare does not end at the ship's gangway. Once a vessel arrives in port, a seafarer's experience is also shaped by terminals, agents, port authorities and welfare organisations. Can they get ashore? Can they access transport, Wi-Fi or a welfare centre? Can they speak to someone outside the colleagues they work and live with every day?

Can they talk to someone they can trust if they are experiencing loneliness or issues back home? Sometimes you would like to talk to a person other than your colleague, who you not only work with, but also live with.
These may sound like small issues, but collectively they determine whether a seafarer experiences a port as welcoming, supportive and professional.

Supported crews make fewer mistakes. Safer ships create safer ports. 

It could also have an impact on experienced and highly skilled seafarers deciding to continue with their seafaring vocation or looking to switch to other industries on shore exacerbating the skills shortage.

One my fondest memories is the connection I made with a stevedore when I was a young third officer discharging coal at Royal Portbury in Bristol. When we were on deck I got talking this guy who was curious about my work, my life and my background and invited me to his home for a meal with his family. It is experiences like these that helped me persevere at points in my seafaring career when I was evaluating if I should stay at sea.

All around Australia, welfare organisations provide practical support every day - transport, Wi-Fi, welfare visits, care packages, direct engagement and remote support.

Former Port Services Manager and former Sydney welfare committee chair Shane Hobday once shared a simple example with me. Shane still volunteers, including driving for the Mission to Seafarers' free mini-bus service.

One cold evening, in pouring rain, he picked up a seafarer from Patrick terminal well after 5pm. Shane explained that the Mission would close at 7pm. By the time they travelled into the city and back, the seafarer might get only 30 or 40 minutes there.
The seafarer smiled and said: "It doesn't matter. It's just so good to get away from the ship."

The lesson I have learned about seafarer welfare is that small acts of kindness anywhere in the entire collective are as impactful as the larger programs run by a few organisations.

Which takes me to my main message today. Port-based Seafarers Welfare only works when shipping lines, terminals, service providers join hands with the welfare organisations. And this is already happening organically. The DP world team has a program where employees volunteer approximately once a week to visit vessels alongside their terminals and just talk to seafarers. We at the Port Authority are also beginning to find more opportunities to visit seafarers on ships taking the time to hear their stories.
Yet we can all do more, particularly in bringing shipping lines and other maritime organisations more directly into the conversation – come and join us in the tent!

Seafarer welfare should not be viewed as the responsibility of welfare organisations alone. It is a shared industry responsibility. After all, every organisation represented here relies on benefits from the professionalism and commitment of seafarers, but we shouldn’t take it for granted.

I would therefore like to challenge our industry to consider three practical commitments.

Firstly, participate in your port’s welfare committees where you call or operate, our Port operators, towage companies and terminals are leading by example always willing to contribute to a good cause. Shipping lines can participate either directly or through your shipping agent.

Secondly, contribute. Large contributions are always welcome and needed, but even small contributions, multiplied across the industry, have a significant impact.

But even more important is your presence and visibility.

When a seafarer steps ashore in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle or any other port, their experience is shaped by the collective actions of the maritime community.

So the message today is simple. Commercial maritime organisations and Maritime Welfare organisations have similar end goals when it comes to seafarers. If we join hands, we can become force multipliers for each other.

Thank you for your time, and please, contact your local Port Welfare Community, and get involved. Be part of the conversation, understand what seafarers need when they come ashore, and help us to work together to strengthen the network that supports them.

#end.