⚓ Look out across the Bay on any given evening and you will see them. Ships at anchor, lights glowing against the dark, waiting to refuel before the next leg of a long journey.
Gibraltar is one of the busiest bunkering ports in the Mediterranean. Thousands of vessels pass through our waters every year, and behind each one is a crew. People who have been at sea for months at a time, thousands of miles from home, family and everything familiar.
It is easy to forget that life at sea can be one of the loneliest jobs in the world. Long stretches away from loved ones, limited contact with the outside world, and little chance to talk to anyone about how they are really feeling. For many seafarers, that isolation quietly builds over weeks and months, with nowhere to put it down.
🌊 A cause close to home
At GibSams, we know how much difference a listening ear can make. Every evening, our volunteers speak to people in Gibraltar who simply need someone to hear them without judgement. That same need does not stop at the water’s edge. It travels with every crew anchored just off our shores and around the world.
That is why we are proud to back the Befrienders Worldwide Seafarers Campaign. Befrienders Worldwide is the global network we are part of, and this campaign is raising funds to strengthen the helplines that support maritime workers wherever they are in the world. It shines a light on the isolation faced by one of the most hidden workforces on the planet, and it gives them somewhere to turn.
💙 How you can help
Supporting the campaign is simple. You can learn more about the work, share it with others, and donate to help keep these vital helplines running.
If you work in Gibraltar’s shipping, bunkering or maritime community, this one is especially close to home. A share from you could help the message reach the very people who need it most.
Whatever you are going through, and wherever you are, no one should have to face it alone. That belief is at the heart of everything we do, and it is why this campaign matters so much to us.
Find out more and support the Seafarers Campaign here: befrienders.org/seafarers