DUBAI // Thousands of small parcels are being distributed to sailors on boats docked at UAE ports during the festive season.
"Merry Christmas! Someone in the UAE is thinking of you," reads a small card tucked into the gifts of chocolates, shampoo and soap rolled into a white T-shirt and tied securely with a blue ribbon.
More than 8,000 such presents are being delivered by The Mission to Seafarers, a 156-year-old Christian agency, to seamen on hundreds of ships in Jebel Ali, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Hamriya ports.
The parcel has helped new seaman, Pranal D'souza, 20, overcome a bout of the blues on his first stint away from his family in Mumbai.
"It's just so nice that someone has even thought of us," said Mr D'souza, on a tug boat surrounded by his shipmates at Jebel Ali port.
"This gift really helps me. I'm missing my cousins and family, the parties and the Christmas mass at home.
"But it's okay because I now must concentrate on my career, and this is just the beginning for me. I think of my family opening Christmas gifts, and so it's fun for me to open a gift when I'm so far from home."
Chief officer Shaikh Zahid, 27, also from India, has been sailing for five years and says festivals are particularly hard on the crew. Most are at sea for four months to a year, and are often not permitted onshore due to a ship's rules or strict port formalities.
"We all know it's important for us to do our jobs and our work is out at sea, so you get addicted to life at sea," he said.
"But festivals are very difficult. Any festival is hard for the men because you think of home, and you hope to call your family and hear their voices any chance you get. So getting these gifts is a nice, unexpected surprise. It makes the men smile."
The mission operates seafarer centres in 258 ports in 71 countries.
The UAE is the only country where the mission's volunteers and chaplains distribute presents to seamen during Christmas and Ramadan.
The gifts are donated by local businesses and hotels. The T-shirts distributed carry the mission's welfare centre hotline contacts so sailors can speak to volunteers when they are in need of assistance.
This is the fourth year The Mission to Seafarers has undertaken the gift distribution initiative.
In Fujairah anchorage, the mission's support boat, the Flying Angel, pulls up near tankers and cargo vessels to hand over parcels to seafarers, while in Jebel Ali volunteers climb on board boats docked at the port.
"A seafarer's life is very tough and this counts for something, it means something to them," said Paul Burt, the managing director and senior chaplain of the mission.
"It is during the major holidays that seafarers feel the most isolated and alone. This is when they miss their families the most and the gifts are an expression of support and solidarity with them."
Yusuf Bandarzadar, an Iranian chief engineer with 35 years sailing experience, said this was the first gift he had received.
"We always take gifts back to the family, but it feels different to get something from a stranger. I feel I'm not alone, that somebody is thinking of me," he said.
Herman Erake, an Indonesian captain's assistant on an offshore passenger boat, said the crew wanted to spend more time on the phone with their families during Christmas and New Year.
"When we get a signal everyone wants to try to call home but, of course, it's expensive so only a few minutes is possible," said Mr Erake.
"We always take lots of gifts and toys back home for our family. This is the first time we are getting a gift. It may be a small parcel, but it means so much."
rtalwar@thenational.ae
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Huroob Ezterari
Director: Ahmed Moussa
Starring: Ahmed El Sakka, Amir Karara, Ghada Adel and Moustafa Mohammed
Three stars
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
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More on Turkey's Syria offence
AIR
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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Traces%20of%20Enayat
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Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
Three stars
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Need to know
When: October 17 until November 10
Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration
Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center
What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.
For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com
2020 Oscars winners: in numbers
- Parasite – 4
- 1917– 3
- Ford v Ferrari – 2
- Joker – 2
- Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood – 2
- American Factory – 1
- Bombshell – 1
- Hair Love – 1
- Jojo Rabbit – 1
- Judy – 1
- Little Women – 1
- Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You're a Girl) – 1
- Marriage Story – 1
- Rocketman – 1
- The Neighbors' Window – 1
- Toy Story 4 – 1
Company%20Profile
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RESULTS
ATP China Open
G Dimitrov (BUL x3) bt R Bautista Agut (ESP x5)
7-6, 4-6, 6-2
R Nadal (ESP x1) bt J Isner (USA x6)
6-4, 7-6
WTA China Open
S Halep (ROU x2) bt D Kasatkina (RUS)
6-2, 6-1
J Ostapenko (LAT x9) bt S Cirstea (ROU)
6-4, 6-4
ATP Japan Open
D Schwartzman (ARG x8) bt S Johnson (USA)
6-0, 7-5
D Goffin (BEL x4) bt R Gasquet (FRA)
7-5, 6-2
M Cilic (CRO x1) bt R Harrison (USA)
6-2, 6-0
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Know your camel milk:
Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
Goes well with: chocolate and caramel, saffron, cardamom and cloves. Also works well with honey and dates.
Company%20Profile
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WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: 3/5
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.