Projects

Image of port chaplain being presented with a new car to be used for ship and home visits, as well as transporting seafarers in and around the ports.
creation and delivery

MNWB Welfare Projects

MNWB creates, operates and administers numerous projects to benefit seafarers’ welfare. In doing so it helps its Constituent Member organisations provide important welfare services, promotes the work of its Port Welfare Committees and provides welfare services itself.
Scroll down to view our recent and ongoing projects.

Ambassador Project

The Ambassador programme was created to reach out to our constituent member organisations, in order to strengthen the ties between us.  The Board’s ambassadors – Neil Atkinson, Gordon Foot, Capt. Stephen Gudgeon, Paul Hayes and Capt. Martin Phipps – are undertaking a programme of visits and presentations, all designed to promote and profile the work of the Board.

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View across a row of container ships in port. The International Port Welfare Partnership logo is in the bottom right hand corner.

International Port Welfare Partnership (IPWP) Programme

The IPWP programme is managed by the Board on behalf of the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN) – with funding from ITF Seafarers’ Trust, TK Foundation, The Seafarers’ Charity and ourselves.  The programme is dedicated to the establishment, guidance and support of Port Welfare Committees (PWCs) across the globe. The “Port Visitor” platform was created in order to facilitate this and can be found at www.portvisitor.com .

UK Port Welfare MiFi Partnership Project

The UK Port Welfare MiFi Partnership project is jointly funded by the Department for Transport, Trinity House and ourselves.  It was initially created back in April 2019 and has recently been renewed for another year, with funding in place to see the project through to July 2024.  The project provides 38 mobile internet hot-spots that can be taken on board ships to allow the crew to download or stream films/TV, contact their family and friends or simply catch up on what is happening in the world.  Each device comes with unlimited data each month and allows 10-15 people to log-on at a time.  The devices are spread throughout the UK with representatives of the participating welfare societies – Aberdeen Seafarers’ Centre, The Fishermen’s Mission, Liverpool Seafarers’ Centre, The Mission to Seafarers, Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest (QVSR), Sailors’ Society and Stella Maris – and have proved to be a popular addition for both seafarers and the ship visitors.

Vehicle Replacement Programme (VRP)

The maritime funding charities recognise the importance of seafarers’ centres and Port Chaplains having access to safe and reliable vehicles in order to deliver much needed port welfare services. As a result, the now annual vehicle replacement project, having started in 2008, gives substantial grants to help voluntary organisations purchase new vehicles. The project enables welfare personnel to undertake ship and home visits as well as transporting seafarers in and around the ports. The programme helps replace minibuses, MPVs and cars that remain essential to the provision of welfare services to our seafarers.  Since the programme started, the fund has given out almost £2.4M in grants helping to purchase 175 vehicles. In 2023 the programme was jointly funded by Trinity House, TK Foundation and MNWB. For 2024 we have recently secured finance from the Department for Transport to fund the programme, together with a contribution from MNWB, for this coming year.