Ships across Newcastle Harbour will sound their horns at 12pm this Friday the 1st of May to show solidarity with seafarers for this year's International Workers Day celebrations.
The Port of Newcastle's David Allan dredger is expected to join up to 14 commercial vessels to fire their horns in chorus - and they're just a small part of a global International Chamber of Shipping initiative.
With the industry facing unprecedented challenges in the COVID-19 crisis, Port of Newcastle representative Sam Collyer says seafarers are more deserving of our respect than ever before.
"The seafarers that are on the ships visiting those ports have an incredibly important role to make sure that our goods get in and out of Australia and that people and businesses are well supplied," said Mr Collyer.
Seafarers have faced additional sacrifices as part of pandemic measures, including spending longer periods of time at sea and movement restrictions when in port.
"It's a really tough job, and we're hoping all the ships in port will be able to blast their horn in recognition of the international seafarers who are helping us through what is a really tough period for the world," he says.
Mr Collyer says tomorrow's event is a simple way for the community to rally behind the work seafarers do to keep Australia up and running.
"It will make a heavy amount of noise if all the ships fire their horns at the same time," said Mr Collyer.
"But regardless of how far the sound travels, it's really a small mark of respect for what are the unsung heroes of global trade."
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| Image Credit: Port Authority of NSW |
