Jireh crew take charity help on board

Friday 29 November 2019

A charity for seafarers in trouble is helping the "desperate" crew of the MV Jireh who have found themselves detained in Portland after being unable to find shelter in the Channel Islands over the winter months.

The Nigerian registered vessel stayed in the Little Russel on anchor for more than a week, after Jersey refused to allow it to dock in St Helier Harbour, and then St Peter Port Harbour was unable to free up a berth for it.

As more and more questions started to be asked about the crews motives, with food parcels and warm clothes having to be sent over to help them out, the ship sailed out of Guernsey waters and headed for Weymouth, not Dakar where it was originally going.

When it arrived off the south coast of England last Sunday, the boat stayed on anchor until it was board by Dorset Marine Policing Team, who said they had concerns for the crews wellbeing.

The vessel was later detained and brought in to berth.

Since then the crew have been given help by the Sailors' Society, which is a Christian charity that works with merchant seafarers.

Pictured: The Sailors' Society helps those in need at sea. 

Sailors’ Society’s Chief Operations Officer and Director of Programme Sandra Welch, said they have tried to meet the crew's personal needs and have helped them make contact with their families.

“We are working with the port, border force and police and are supporting the crew. Our chaplain based at Portland is visiting the crew every day to make sure their personal needs are met and has taken a WiFi modem onboard so they can contact their family back home."

Ms Welch said the charity is experienced in helping in these situations as, "sadly, this situation is not uncommon.

"Many of our chaplains working around the world have been called on to help desperate crews who find themselves stranded thousands of miles from home and we’re there to give them the support and practical help they need. The issues seafarers can face have not changed much in the 200 years that Sailors' Society has been around. We have been a friendly face and listening ear all that time and will continue to care for this invisible workforce. Seafarers are often out of sight at sea or in ports, but we depend on them for almost everything we use and buy – most of our Black Friday goods and Christmas gifts would have been transported by sea.”

Pictured: The MV Jireh.