Posted on: 25 June 2021
International legal and professional services firm, Ince, has today released in support of the “Sing for Seafarers’” campaign their global virtual choir’s recording of Rod Stewart’s single ‘Sailing’ to raise funds for four of the world’s leading maritime charities: Mission to Seafarers, Sailors’ Society, Stella Maris and The Seafarers’ Charity. The single has been recorded in partnership with Royal Museums Greenwich and with the support of multi-platinum record producer George Shilling and award winning film director Athena Xenidou.
The single can be previewed on Vimeo, and the music video, which showcases the work and activities that seafarers carry out at sea, whilst highlighting their stories and struggles of the pandemic, can be watched on Youtube.
Donations can be submitted on this Virgin Money Giving page: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-display/showROFundraiserPage?userUrl=SingForSeafarers&pageUrl=1
The single will be available for purchase on all main media platforms – including iTunes, Amazon and Spotify – from Friday 25 June.
Stranded seafarers’ testimonials and those of their loved ones can be watched on the two following links:
Testimonial 1 – https://youtu.be/d6nko6A8w2o
Testimonial 2 – https://youtu.be/y-6w54uq6_M
Testimonial 3 – https://youtu.be/_1E-r-W5rKs
Testimonial 4 – https://youtu.be/xumNUyCwQis
Testimonial 5 – https://youtu.be/14Mt_Ny2Gjw
Testimonial 6 – https://youtu.be/ltsZo-oQYL8
Testimonial 7 – https://youtu.be/54kHMhJVINI
Testimonial 8 – https://youtu.be/57ZVQ3t6boU
Testimonial 9 – https://youtu.be/Cdzr2Xps6dQ
The members of the international choir have joined from all four corners of the world and include: seafarers currently on board vessels in the China seas and beyond and at home, employees from Royal Museums Greenwich recording on the historic Cutty Sark, crewing companies from Europe, marine investigators from the US, retired mariners from Nautilus’s mariner park on the Wirral (England) (where they even set up a COVID-secure recording booth), two primary schools in Bristol, members from The Watch Ashore and Hong Kong Women’s Choir, as well as Ince employees from all over their global office network including Dubai, Gibraltar, Hamburg and Singapore. The band includes Global Senior Partner at Ince, Julian Clark recording upon HMS Monmouth, Regulatory Solutions Partner, Alex Ktorides playing bass, and Chilean maritime lawyer Ricardo Rozas.
In addition to the charitable cause to support organisations that are directly helping seafarers amid a tremendously challenging time for the profession, the single also aims to gain more support for the IMO’s Neptune Declaration on Seafarer Wellbeing and Crew Change, of which Ince is a signatory. The Declaration calls on government bodies to take urgent action to recognise seafarers as key workers and give them priority access to COVID-19 vaccines, as well as the establishment and implementation of standard health protocols that can be universally adopted to ensure safe crew changes.
Commenting on the release of the single, Julian Clark, Global Senior Partner at Ince, said: “The COVID-19 pandemic brought huge operational challenges to our sector, with one of the more severely hit collectives within our industry being crews. The pandemic has resulted in hundreds of thousands of seafarers worldwide working aboard ships beyond the expiry date of their initial contracts, with 400,000 seafarers having been stranded at sea at the peak of the crisis. Even though numbers are reducing and crews are steadily being vaccinated, concerns around new variants are making the situation increasingly complex, especially for crews from India and the Philippines. These sea workers have gone many months and in several cases over a year without being able to return home and see their families and friends. They have missed births, anniversaries, and passings of loved ones, which has had significant consequences on their physical and mental wellbeing. Many responsible ship operators have had their hands tied by being caught between supporting their crew and adhering to the emergency restrictions which has made this a wholly frustrating situation.
“Our singing of ‘Sailing’ aims to give voice to the unsung heroes of the pandemic and raise awareness of their situation and their crucial role in the shipping sector, international trade and the global supply chain. We can show nothing but admiration for our workers of the sea, who are the heartbeat of shipping. As active and committed members of the maritime community, we believe that bringing attention to the critical situation seafarers have undergone throughout the long months of the pandemic is an absolute priority.
“We will also continue to urge not only the maritime sector but also governments and the general public to develop empathy and take action for our crews at sea. Making a donation, no matter how small, to our Virgin Money Giving page, or purchasing the single for 99p, can have an immense impact on the charities’ ability to support our seafarers. And it is our humble way to recognise, celebrate, and give back to the unsung heroes of this pandemic.”
