150th ANNIVERSARY OF THE MISSION TO SEAFARERS

That this House salutes the Mission to Seafarers in its 150th anniversary year; notes the many travails and traumas suffered on an increasingly regular basis by merchant seafarers and is especially concerned at the dramatic increase in piracy and crew abandonment on the high seas; commends the Mission and its chaplains for their sterling work looking after the physical, mental and spiritual welfare of seafarers, be they British or foreign, of any faith or none; recognises their efforts in improving the lot of seafarers through work at the United Nations, the International Maritime Organisation and the International Labour Organisation; and wishes them every success in the coming century.