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07 Feb 2022
2 mins
Sail Because of You: Seafarers credit their Nautical Miles for a good cause!

At the start of 2021 when the 70th Anniversary year of SMOU began, the Union launched a slew of initiatives to support members and also involve them in outreaches to the community. One such initiative was “Sail Because of You” which invited SMOU sea-going members to clock in their sailed nautical miles for a good cause. SMOU committed to donate funds in support of two key partner institutes of the Union – The Mission to Seafarers Singapore (MTSS), and the NTUC Health Henderson Home – for nautical miles sailed and submitted by a registered member.

By the end of the initiative, more than 60 seafaring members had stepped forward to participate, clocking in an impressive total of more than 1.6 million nautical miles! To put the distance into perspective, it is more than seven times the distance from earth to the moon!

Captain Xie pictured in the middle with crew

Captain Xie Ruifeng SMOU member of 22 years told SeaVoices that he felt happy to be able to contribute to this initiative. He added that, “it is more important now than ever to come together to support and assist one another through this period of uncertainty.”

Captain Brian Joubert

SMOU member of 16 years, Captain Brian Joubert, expressed his gratefulness to SMOU for providing him with the opportunity to contribute to a good cause.

 

“The Sail Because of You initiative has brought together seafarers to put their sailing time to good use and make it count where it matters. The initiative cements SMOU’s reputation as not only a leader but also an innovator in its planned philanthropic activities,” lauded Captain Brian.

The fund will contribute an amount of $170,000 each to MTSS to support their mission to uplift seafarers and their welfare, and NTUC Health to a renovation project at the Senior Activity Centre of SMOU’s adopted Henderson Home.

SMOU continues to seek for opportunities to partners with seafarers to make a difference in the community a beyond!