Focus On What Matters

Be identified as the “Pole Star” of the entire maritime and seafaring fraternity by representing the flotilla of marine brothers and sisters and be seen as the voice of Odisha in the maritime industry of India.

Why Choose Us

The question everyone asks, why SAO?

Let us imagine a hypothetical unwanted scenario where in an Odia seafarer working

with a foreign company based in Hong Kong & sailing on a ship flying a Liberian flag, gets high-jacked at Nigeria or Somalia by pirates. His wife and only child stay at a remote Odisha town/village with aged parents. Where do they go seeking help? Whom do they contact at this time of distress? Who will guide them in every step to ascertain his safe return and co-ordinate among ITF maritime unions (MUI/NUSI) and the local shipping company employing him from India?

Who in the Government and ministries will be helping him?

It is rather unfortunate to state that Odisha has been historically considered a very backward state and has always stayed at the sidelines of other developed coastal states even though boasting of a coastline of about 450kms with a potential to make deep water ports and marine facilities better than most west coast states of India.

Who in the Government and ministries will be helping him?

Most office bearers & staff of main maritime bodies such as MUI/NUSI/CMMI/NI/IOE etc., do not even clearly understand the location of state of Odisha let alone, Bhubaneswar. Most people think that we are some district of Kolkata or Bengal. Most port cities have thriving Merchant navy clubs and associations including non-port cities such as New Delhi, Chandigarh and even Patna, so why not ODISHA??

“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water”

- Rabindranath Tagore

It is with this primary focus Seafarers’ association of Odisha (SAO) was envisaged by a group of likeminded and concerned Odia mariners from with-in the state in year 2012 to prepare a platform which will be seen and heard as voice of Odisha’s marine fraternity

AIMS & Our Services

well organised

A well organised and managed group having detailed database of every seafaring and maritime professional including their families in and around Odisha.

Good platform

A platform for social and cultural interaction for mariners and their families during his absence

Good Representation

A representation as voice of Odia and Odisha based mariners for the first time coming together as a strong & organised group.

consultancy & advise

Be recognised as a think tank by the state government where in ready expertise is available for the development of Odisha. A forum which will have industry experts under one roof who can represent and provide consultancy & advise on demand to state and central govt and private sector organisations when required.

interaction

Regular interaction among the SAO member’s families more importantly lady wives and kids for get together especially when husband is away sailing

SAO mariner’s club

Make a SAO mariner’s club with-in the city limits of Bhubaneswar with star rated facilities at subsidized & nominal rates for all its Life members and their families

Learn More

Helping

 Helping SAO members and their families as required especially when the seafarer is on the ship.

Social work

Doing, like visiting orphanages, old age homes, interacting with the inmates, donating ration, good used old clothes, organising ANNAPURNA in addition to celebrating birthdays and anniversary celebrations

Education

Sponsoring the education of talented orphans.

Skill India

Helping some youngsters in joining SKILL INDIA training and assisting them for employment

Blood Donation

Sponsoring and organising Blood Donation camps.

career counselling

Assisting in career counselling at Schools and Colleges.

Assisting Traffic Police

Assisting Traffic Police for Traffic awareness and regulating traffic at Cross road junctions.

Health camps

Sponsoring health camps when permitted, which helps in identifying simple illnesses that are neglected and can change the quality of a person’s life.

Eye Camp

CATARACT detection and free operation by ROTARY and LVPEI.

Call To Action

08260054485

Call To Action

WHAT WE ARE NOT

FOR YOU

We are not a maritime union or affiliate to any of the existing trade or marine unions.

We do not bargain for jobs or wages at the time of employment for any of our members

We do not charge any shipping or shore company to provide our members employment.

We do not take any charges from any seafarers for the purpose of providing jobs or employment in any form

We do not endorse any marine training institute for the purpose of providing employment to their trainee students.

AN APPEAL

Dear esteemed SAO members, it is an earnest request to all to become Life Members of this Association and contribute your expertise in the Maritime sector for sharing amongst all, so that we all benefit from it. We have seniors and juniors with varied experiences and this is a good platform to share so that we learn from each other. With this idea in mind some likeminded seafarers got together to get our esteemed ODIA seafarers under one umbrella, so that we can become a force to reckon with and also provide assistance to our fellow brethren in whatever way possible.

No organization can sustain without adequate contribution from its members, as it involves expenses to run it smoothly and that too for our own benefit. Just by becoming part of a WhatsApp group, does not help to run the organisation. We have risen to assist in times of need and to list a few, especially during the COVID pandemic, managed to keep a guest house facility stand by for seafarer’s quarantine purpose, procured Oxygen cylinders for our emergency use, distributed masks sanitizers to Police and other poor needy people, like street vendors and BMC cleaners, handed over ration, old clothes to charitable institutions, distributed food packets during the peak COVID curfew etc. Our work was noticed during COVID pandemic and we got assistance in the form of 100 packets, containing medicines, Oxy-meters and thermometers from Seafarer’s International relief fund. We also got an Oxygen concentrator from NUSI. We distributed relief during the FANI cyclone and contributed to the CM’s relief fund also. We have off and on visited orphanages, donated old clothes and ration to old age homes. These are a few of the philanthropic activities done by SAO recently.