As a marine surveyor, Sliema resident Ursula Smith usually spends about five days at sea on her work trips.

But in a recent expedition, she was trapped for more than three months on board, partly in quarantine due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I just got stuck,” she says. “This gave me a true understanding of onboard life during the pandemic. “

The experience inspired her to spearhead a Christmas campaign to help bring some festive cheer to those stranded at sea over the festive period.

A seafarer with one of the Christmas boxes delivered to ships docked in Malta over the festive period.

The International Chamber of Shipping estimates that about 300,000 people are stranded on their vessels due to the pandemic with 90 per cent of global trade now happening by sea.

“There are many seafarers who have been stuck away from home for months, some since the beginning of the crisis, who have been working day after day onboard and, in most cases, with no chance of even a day of leave ashore,” Ursula, a church warden at Holy Trinity, Sliema, says.

“We cannot, of course, get these seafarers home to their families for the holidays but we thought we could send them a message to show that we are thinking of them at Christmas.”

So volunteers at the church collected 20 boxes of goods, to cater for 18 visiting vessels in Malta’s ports over Christmas, and filled them with gifts like chocolate, sweets, a candle, nuts and homemade marmalade.

Local children aged between two and four created gift tags and the boxes were wrapped in red and white, representing the Maltese flag.

Ursula Smith got to thinking about seafarers stuck at sea after finding herself in a similar predicament.

The project was also supported by Fr Joseph Borg, from Stella Maris, maritime company Vassallo Associates and an anonymous donor.

“We would have loved to deliver them ourselves but with port COVID 19 and security restrictions, this was not possible,” Ursula explained, so she roped in her ship agent friend, Chris Calleja, from Calpac Maritime Traders, to play Father Christmas.

“These seafarers are all far away from home and missing their families. When they sit down to their dinner and open the box, light the candle and share the contents, they will know we thought of them,” she said.