Australia relies on shipping and seafarers to connect to the world and to bring goods to our homes for the economy to thrive, and for the health of our island nation. From the coffee we drink to the cars we drive; the clothes we wear to our mobile phones and computers – if it was made overseas, it likely arrived by ship. Mission to Seafarers-Victoria (MtSV) provides welfare services to support the tireless work and hardships faced by those seafarers.

Seafarers and port workers are the invisible front-line workers responsible for the movement of the essential cargo that keeps countries’ supply chains operating. And yet they aren’t regarded as citizens of the world, or considered as equally important as their cargoes. To continue to support the seafarers’ physical and mental wellbeing – especially during the global coronavirus pandemic when there has been limited shore leave in the Port of Melbourne – we need funds to run our programs.

The MSC Maritime Art Prize & Exhibition is a major fundraising initiative of MtSV. The generosity of our sponsors who provide the prize money and other in-kind contributions, and the artists who pay an entrance fee and a commission on all works that are sold, ensures the continued success and wide popularity of the MSC Maritime Art Prize & Exhibition and in turn, supports those seafarers. Due to the global pandemic, we are needed now more than ever.