Princess Cruises is joining the International Maritime Organization in celebrating the 5th annual Day of the Seafarer on June 25, which is also a United Nations international observance day. Day of the Seafarer brings awareness to and recognizes the world’s 1.5 million seafarers to thank them for their service and contribution during their career at sea.

Around the world, there are organizations that support the well-being of seafaring crew by providing important humanitarian services that directly benefit the shipboard crew at Princess, as well as all international maritime workers. Princess Cruises actively supports these organizations located in ports of call the cruise line visits often including Seafarers’ House (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida); Seafarers UK (Southampton, England); Mission to Seafarers, (Seattle, Washington); and International Seafarer’s Center (Long Beach/Los Angeles, Calif.).

On every cruise, Princess raises money for charity by conducting an auction of the nautical charts, a one-of-a-kind collector’s item signed by the Captain that details the routes of the voyage. To celebrate the 2015 Day of the Seafarer, Princess guests will have the opportunity to show their support for their favorite crew members and seafarers and take home this unique keepsake from their cruise vacation. Fleetwide, through the month of July, the proceeds from each commemorative nautical chart auction will be collected on behalf of seafarers. Princess Cruises Community Foundation will match the auction proceeds up to $10,000. Both the auction proceeds and the matched funds will be donated to seafarer organizations that promote the well-being of seafarers and their families.

The 2015 Day of the Seafarer campaign aims to inspire young people to consider a career at sea. In support, Princess Cruises will turn to social media to celebrate its shipboard team, using the hashtag #CareerAtSea to highlight that a career at sea is a rewarding opportunity that will take you to exciting and often exotic destinations around the world.

Princess Cruises is showing appreciation and gratitude to seafarers everywhere and this day offers the opportunity to acknowledge the company’s nearly 18,000 shipboard crew who work aboard Princess cruise ships and come from more than 70 countries. Princess is also taking this opportunity to salute three long-serving employees who have dedicated themselves to a lifelong career at sea:

•        Tom Beck (Coventry, United Kingdom), Newbuild Guarantee Engineer, 51 years at sea
•        Alastair Calder (Genoa, Italy), Fleet Marine Inspector, 48 years at sea
•        Nigel Stewart (Fortrose, Scotland), Hotel General Manager, 47 years at sea

“We are grateful for the commitment and dedication of our seafaring staff – they are truly what makes Princess Cruises special for our guests,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president. “Because of their choosing to have a career at sea, our guests enjoy a safe, meaningful and memorable cruise vacation.”

In an additional show of support, the company will also donate a cruise to the Seattle branch of Mission to Seafarers and will be hosting their annual luncheon aboard Crown Princess on August 22 in the Port of Seattle.