The Tampa Seafarers Center is a non-profit Christian organization that seeks to provide an environment for meeting the physical, social, and spiritual needs of seafarers and others who use the facilities of the Port of Tampa, regardless of their race, creed, color, or religious background.

Background

A Christian ministry presence has been ongoing in the Port for over 30 years. Tampa Port Ministries, Inc. was organized in October 2001 as a 501c3 non-profit religious ministry.

Chaplains have worked in the Port of Tampa for years individually but sought to build a cooperative relationship for the mutual benefit of the people they seek to serve.

Ministering to Florida’s Largest Port

Last year, The Tampa SeaFarers Center served thousands of seafarers that came to the Port of Tampa from countries all over the world. These international ships have crews from Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Romania, Phillippines, Indonesia, India, China, Mexico, and many other countries. These seafarers are away from their families for at least 9 months and are often at sea for 3–4 month periods.

Each week, approximately 45 ships will visit the port, with an average crew of 12 to 35 seafarers on cargo vessels and 850 to 1000 on cruise ships. Their stay in port ranges from just a few hours to a few days. Ships utilizing our repair facilities will stay longer, sometimes as much as 2 months.

Most seafarers come from third-world countries and have left their families behind in order to provide for them financially in a way they could not do in their homeland.

They are lonely, in a strange land, and have limited ability to communicate with others. These are the needs that the Tampa Seafarers Center attempts to meet in the short time that these “strangers” are in our midst.

Ministering to Physical, Social, and Spiritual Needs

The Tampa Seafarers Center objective is to meet the physical, social, and spiritual needs of seafarers and others who use the facilities of the Port of Tampa.

Physical

Transportation is available from dockside to the Tampa SeaFarers Center, Post Office, banking, shopping center, and other locations as the seafarers might have need.

Center personnel will help to locate medical and dental care, legal aid, and recreational opportunities.

Seafarers can find casual wear as well as work clothes in the free clothes closet. The clothes are all donated and change on a weekly basis.

For those who don’t have the time to go shopping, the Center offers a small convenience store with toiletries, snacks, and other personal items.

Social

The Tampa Seafarers Center provides for the seafarers social needs by providing a phone room where they can phone home to talk to family and friends.

A computer lobby is available for both emailing home and checking the Internet for the latest copy of their hometown newspaper.

Spiritual

The Tampa Seafarers Center offers worship opportunities at the Center as well as onboard their ship. Transportation is available to take seafarers to local churches.

Bibles and tracts are available in several different languages. We also have the Jesus Film on DVD and Bible studies that all come in the more common international languages.

Chaplains are available to seafarers and all port personnel for Biblical guidance and comfort.

Contact Us

Tampa Port Ministries, Inc.

1912 Eastport Dr.

Tampa, FL 33605

Ph: 813-247-5237

FAX: 813-242-6438

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