500 GIFT PARCELS HANDED OUT TO SEAFARERS IN ABU DHABI
Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC) has celebrated the “Day of the Seafarer” by opening a new Seafarer Centre at Khalifa Port and distributing gifts as a sign of appreciation to seafarers on vessels.
The new Seafarer Centre is open to all seafarers visiting the port and is located on the secure sea side of the port island. A shuttle bus will operate between the Seafarer Centre and the quayside at regular intervals, making it easily accessible to all those on visiting ships.
The Seafarer Centre will offer hot food for eat in and take away, a duty free shop, a range of different gaming facilities, a quiet area to relax and most importantly an internet café and WiFi.
“The ‘Day of the Seafarer’ is a campaign to recognise the hard work of the 1.5 million seafarers around the world”, said Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO, ADPC, and continued: “It’s a perfect day to open our new Seafarer Centre, and to express our support of these unsung heroes of the sea.”
As a further sign of appreciation and support, ADPC distributed more than 500 gift parcels, containing caps, t-shirts, sandals, shower gel, tooth brushes and tooth pastes, to seafarers at Khalifa Port, Zayed Port and Mugharaq Port in the Western Region of the emirate.
The “Day of the Seafarer” is an annual campaign organised by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping and the prevention of marine pollution.
This year’s campaign was entitled “Seafarers brought me…” The IMO asked supporters to complete this sentence, using social media to spread the word.
As more than 90 per cent of world trade travels by sea, ADPC produced a video with its staff showing just a few of the many items that ‘Seafarers brought me…’ into Abu Dhabi’s ports. Just click here to see the video.