A virtual Boaty McBoatface is to set sail from Southampton today thanks to an initiative from international maritime charity Sailors’ Society and vessel tracking website MarineTraffic.
The aim of the virtual Boaty is to visit locations where Sailors’ Society has port chaplains and ship visitors, such as Cape Town, South Africa and Odessa, Ukraine, to raise awareness about the sacrifices made by the world’s 1.5 million seafarers.
The distance Boaty travels will highlight how far seafarers travel and the months of isolation they face. Approximately 270 consecutive days per year are spent by most seafarers at sea where they face loneliness and time away from their families as well as the ongoing threat of pirate attacks and challenging sea conditions.
Sailors’ Society and MarineTraffic have worked together to produce two apps that improve seafarers’ welfare. The Ship Visitor app enables port chaplains and ship visitors to deliver more effective care to the world’s seafarers, while the Wellness at Sea app puts health and wellbeing at sea in seafarers’ hands and aims to combat issues such as fatigue, poor mental health and stress, which affect seafarers on a daily basis and can be the difference between safe transit and a major incident.
Boaty’s progress can be tracked on www.marinetraffic.com or via the Wellness at Sea app.
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