The Seamen's Church Institute

Founded in 1834, the Seamen’s Church Institute (SCI) promotes the safety, dignity, and improved working environment for the men and women serving in North American and international maritime communities through pastoral care, training, advocacy, and thought leadership. The largest and most comprehensive mariners’ service organization in North America, SCI serves as a voluntary, ecumenical agency affiliated with the Episcopal Church, serving mariners regardless of faith or background. Annually, SCI Chaplains visit thousands of vessels in the ports of New York and New Jersey, and along 2,200 miles of America's inland waterways extending into the Gulf of Mexico. SCI's maritime education facilities in Houston, TX and Paducah, KY provide navigational training to nearly 1,600 mariners each year through simulator-based facilities. Our Center for Seafarers’ Rights is recognized worldwide as a leading advocate for merchant mariners by the United States Government, including the US Congress, the US Coast Guard, and the Department of Homeland Security, as well as the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, the International Labour Organization and maritime trade associations.