The Reverend John Attenborough and the Reverend Franklin Isaac were recently in Colombo for the Mission to Seafarers MESA regional conference, joined by colleagues from across the Middle East and South Asia. Fr John is MESA regional director, chaplain for MtS Cyprus, and a member of Diocesan Standing Committee. Fr Franklin is MtS chaplain in Bahrain, based at St Christopher’s Cathedral.
The conference theme was resilience, at a time when conflict in the Middle East brings particular risks to the wellbeing of seafarers.
Talks and workshops focused on ways to strengthen the support MtS can offer to seafarers—in terms of their living and working conditions, and their mental and physical well-being.
Port reports offered a detailed look at the spiritual, psychological and material support MtS chaplains and staff continue to provide to seafarers amidst war and the closure of maritime straits.
Ship crews in the region and their families have faced intense pressure—“not only a sense of loneliness, abandonment and separation from their loved ones, but also fear for what the future holds”, said MtS Welfare Officer Raeid Tashtousch, who is based in Aqaba, Jordan.
Other sessions focused on standards and training (MtS Chief Operating Officer Tomi Toluhi); ship-visit reporting (Revd John Attenborough); justice and welfare (Ben Bailey); and social media—including tips on powerful, ethical approaches to good story-telling (Nina Edy).
Conference participants were also introduced to Nida Fathima, newly appointed Welfare Officer for Chennai in India and the first Muslim woman to hold the role.
MtS has been supporting seafarers for 170 years, reflected Raeid: “May we remain among their strongest supporters and look forward to a bright future. May God grant us all resilience and may He strengthen our hands to serve, our voices to encourage, and our hearts to remain steady.”
The conference closed with a visit to an elephant sanctuary—a wet and wonderful day out!
(The MtS MESA regional conference was held on 20-24 July 2026 in Colombo, Sri Lanka)
Photos: (main) conference participants; (bottom left) visiting the elephant sanctuary; (bottom right) visiting Colombo Cathedral with Bishop of Colombo the Right Reverend Dushantha Lakshman Rodrigo
