PRESS RELEASE: International Seafarer Ministry of Miami Celebrates 2026 Seafarers Day
Royal Caribbean Group donates special gift bags to honor cruise and cargo ship crew members from around the world [pictures at the end]
MIAMI, FL — June 28, 2026 — The International Seafarer Ministry of Miami celebrated the 2026 Seafarers Day throughout the weekend, honoring the men and women who serve aboard cruise ships and cargo vessels arriving at PortMiami.
Although the official observance took place on Thursday, June 25, the ministry extended the 2026 Seafarers Day celebration throughout the weekend so that as many crew members as possible could participate.
The city of Miami is home to PortMiami, the largest cruise port in the world and an international gateway welcoming ships, about eight million passengers, and approximately three million seafarers each year. These crew members represent countries, cultures, languages, and religious backgrounds from across the globe.
Royal Caribbean Group generously donated special gift bags filled with treats and useful items for the occasion. The gifts were distributed to seafarers of many nationalities serving aboard cruise and cargo ships throughout PortMiami. Ministry volunteers welcomed crew members at the International Seafarer Ministry’s hospitality center and chapel while also reaching out to ship terminals across the port.
The celebration recognized the essential contribution seafarers make to the cruise, transportation, hospitality, and global maritime industries. For many crew members, life at sea involves contracts lasting six or seven months, demanding schedules, and extended separation from spouses, children, parents, and other relatives.
The International Seafarer Ministry of Miami exists to remind these men and women that they are seen, valued, and appreciated.
“Our seafarers work extremely hard, often under difficult and emotionally demanding circumstances,” said Dr. Julio C. Salas, Pastor and Executive Director of the International Seafarer Ministry of Miami. “They spend months away from their families, their homes, their churches or houses of worship, and everything familiar to them. Our mission is to care for their spiritual, emotional, and practical needs and to provide them with a place they can truly call their home away from home.”
Dr. Salas expressed his gratitude to Royal Caribbean Group for helping the ministry make the 2026 Seafarers Day celebration especially meaningful.
“We are deeply grateful to Royal Caribbean Group for its generosity and for helping us honor the men and women who serve at sea,” Dr. Salas said. “These gift bags were much more than treats and useful items. They communicated a powerful message to every seafarer who received one: You are seen, you are valued, and your service matters.”
As part of the observance, the ministry also offered special prayers for seafarers navigating difficult waters and serving in regions of the world affected by war, political unrest, violence, and instability.
“We prayed for the safety, protection, and well-being of the many seafarers who are currently traveling through dangerous waters or serving in parts of the world experiencing conflict and unrest,” Dr. Salas said. “While many of us may never fully understand the risks and pressures they face, we want them to know that they are remembered in our prayers and that they have a caring community here in Miami.”
The ministry welcomes all seafarers, regardless of nationality, culture, denomination, or religious tradition. Crew members can rest, enjoy refreshments, use free internet service to communicate with their families, charge their phones, participate in recreational activities, receive prayer and spiritual care, and enjoy fellowship with volunteers and other seafarers.
The ministry also provides Bibles and Christian resources in numerous languages, hygiene products, snacks, coffee, water, and other practical items. Volunteers regularly visit cruise and cargo ships and conduct outreach at terminals throughout PortMiami to serve crew members who may be unable to visit the ministry’s facility.
“At our center, seafarers from different nations, cultures, and backgrounds come together as one family,” Dr. Salas explained. “We want them to know that they are important to God and important to us. Whether we are offering a cup of coffee, helping someone connect with family through the internet, providing a Bible, praying with a crew member, or simply listening to their story, we seek to demonstrate love through both words and actions.”
The ministry’s work also has a positive impact beyond the individual seafarer. By encouraging crew members to love and care for their cabin mates, fellow employees, supervisors, and passengers, the ministry promotes stronger relationships and a healthier culture of hospitality aboard ships.
“PortMiami is recognized as the cruise capital of the world,” Dr. Salas said. “Our desire is not only for it to be the largest cruise port in the world, but also the most hospitable port in the world—a place where seafarers from every nation experience genuine care, friendship, dignity, and love.”
The International Seafarer Ministry of Miami relies on the support of maritime companies, churches, Christian ministries, businesses, individual donors, and volunteers. Partnerships such as Royal Caribbean’s Group’s contribution allow the ministry to continue meeting the practical, emotional, and spiritual needs of thousands of seafarers who pass through PortMiami.
“The nations of the world are coming directly to our port,” Dr. Salas added. “We have an extraordinary opportunity to welcome them, care for them, pray for them, and share Christian love with them right here in Miami. We invite the maritime and local communities to join us in making PortMiami a true home away from home for every seafarer.”
About the International Seafarer Ministry of Miami
The International Seafarer Ministry of Miami is a hospitality center and chapel serving cruise and cargo ship crew members at PortMiami. The ministry cares for the spiritual, emotional, and practical needs of seafarers from around the world by providing hospitality, prayer, spiritual care, free internet access, refreshments, recreational opportunities, Christian resources, ship visits, terminal outreach, and a welcoming place to rest and connect with family.
Media Contact:
Dr. Julio C. Salas
Port Chaplain, Pastor and Executive Director
International Seafarer Ministry of Miami
Email: hello@ismportmiami.org
Phone: 305-390-7424
Website: www.ismportmiami.org
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