As a lay chaplain to ports, Ruth Campbell’s area of care stretches from Southend to Silvertown in east London. It ranges from small jetties to the giant ports of London Gateway, where the container ships arrive, and London Tilbury.
Around 10,000 ships come up the River Thames every year –with cruise ships alone carrying up to 800 crew. Some stay only for five hours before heading back out – and others up to a week while their ships are unloaded.
Many crew will have had little or no contact with their families over a nine month period with some having missed key family occasions and milestones.
Ruth’s role will very often mean carrying WiFi routers on board to help seafarers make contact with their families and friends.
How chaplains are helping seafarers – a testimony for Sea Sunday. 🌊
Read more about the chaplaincy to the tens of thousands of ships that dock at UK ports with crew on board who have spent months at sea.👇🏽https://t.co/kSzmPZBqsn
— The Church of England (@churchofengland) July 9, 2023