Disaster relief
Where maritime communities have been impacted by natural or man-made disasters, unions can provide effective networks for organising relief initiatives. During the Covid pandemic, the Trust established a special fund for unions and welfare organisations to provide economic support, PPE and facilities for testing and vaccinating seafarers. More recently, the Trust has provided grants supporting disaster relief efforts for those affected by environmental catastrophes, such as providing support after the February 2023 earthquakes in Turkey and Syria and the August 2024 floods in Bangladesh.
Support for Ukrainian Cadets
The Ukraine Cadet Project is a joint initiative of the ITF Seafarers’ Trust and the Marine Transport Workers’ Union of Ukraine (MTWTU), working together with Kherson State Maritime Academy (KSMA) and the Lithuanian Maritime Academy. The project is providing support for cadets from the Kherson State Maritime Academy to complete their maritime studies in Lithuania and obtain Lithuanian and Ukrainian certificates of competency. In addition, funding has been provided to support cadets attending the Odesa National Maritime Academy
Ukraine Seafarers' Families Humanitarian Transport Project
The Ukraine Seafarers' Families Humanitarian Transport Project was a joint humanitarian initiative between the ITF Seafarers’ Trust, ITF, Marine Transport Workers Union of Ukraine (MTWTU) and V-Group. The project focused on helping to support the families of Ukrainian seafarers, largely from around port regions such as Mariupol, Kherson and Odesa, which have been particularly affected by the conflict or are active war zones, who wished to leave the conflict in Ukraine. Hundreds of people seeking refuge from the conflict were supported to reach safety outside of Ukraine.