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Fujairah

AOS is delighted to announce the inauguration of a new Stella Maris Centre in Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates. It is the first Stella Maris Centre in the Gulf Region.

FujairahCardozPastoral care is offered by Father Michael Cardoz and his team from the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Services being started include ship visiting and hospitality onshore. In time, celebrations of festivities and leisure and recreation activities will be added.

It is hoped that visiting seafarers will experience a feeling of “home away from home” at the Stella Maris Centre in Fujairah.

The centre was inaugurated at a ceremony held on 16 June 2006. Among those present were Doctor Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi, Minister for Environment and Water of the UAE; Sherif Al Awady, Director General of the Fujairah Free Zone; and Bishop Paul Hinder, Vicar Apostolic of Arabia and Bishop of Abu Dhabi. The bishop thanked the government and the port authorities for allowing AOS to include Fujairah in our worldwide network of pastoral care for People of the Sea.

Various speakers shared their experiences at the inauguration ceremony. Mr Leonard Culas and Captain Gamonez, two ex-seafarers, described the welcome and the services which they had received at Stella Maris Centres in ports around the world.

Francisca Fernandes spoke of the experiences of the wives and children of seafarers. She said that that families of seafarers are always under pressure. They endure loneliness for months at a time just as seafarers do.

Ecumenical partners and port workers were also present at the event. Mr Manuel Tereiro of the Fujairah Port Clinic spoke about seafarers’ health. The clinic provides healthcare services to seafarers of all nationalities. Mr Tereiro extended his support to AOS and hoped that we will be able to work together for the welfare of seafarers. Reverend Stephen Miller of Mission to Seafarers expressed hope that our two organisations could share the resposibility of caring for seafarers in Fujairah.

The AOS regional co-ordinator for the Indian Sub-continent and the Gulf States is Father Xavier Pinto. He assured those present at the inauguration that AOS is committed to working for the “hearts and persons” of seafarers today.

Click here to see more pictures from the event

Click here for contact details of AOS in Fujairah

About Fujairah

Fujairah is the largest multipurpose port on the eastern seaboard of the United Arab Emirates, strategically positioned on the Gulf of Oman. On any given day an average of 80 ships are in anchorage. Together with Rotterdam and Singapore, Fujairah is among the world’s most important ports for bunkering i.e. refuelling of ships. Other shipping facilities include:

  • container handling
  • general cargo
  • bulk cargo
  • ro/ro services
  • ship repair
  • cruise ships

About the United Arab Emirates

The UAE has coastlines on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and borders with the states of Saudi Arabia and Oman. Over 90% of the country is desert. Significant reserves of oil and gas mean that the UAE is one of the richest states in the region.

Immigration is exceptionally high. Only 19% of people living in the UAE are Emirati citizens. Of the expatriate community, 50% come from South Asia, 23% from other Arab countries or Iran, and 8% from other parts of the world. Of the total population, 96% are Muslims.

Migrant workers are believed to constitute nearly 90% of the workforce. In March 2006, the international NGO Human Rights Watch called on the government of the UAE to do more to protect the human and labour rights of migrant workers.

sources: CIA World Fact Book, Wikipedia

 
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