The Seaman’s Service Center was established at the Morehead City Port in 1971 and was incorporated as a 501(c) 3 organization in December 1989. The purpose of the Center is to serve the temporal needs of seafarers of all nationalities, ethnic and religious backgrounds who visit the State Port and to a lesser extent military personnel awaiting deployment.
The Center is located on the Port in a 2500 square foot facility. Here our visitors are provided a game room with a pool table and ping pong, a quiet chapel, free internet service, a TV room and refreshment area, and quiet phone booths for private conversations with family members. In addition, the Center has a 15 passenger van to shuttle passengers to retail shops, mailing facilities, restaurants, and medical/dental facilities.
During a typical year, Center volunteers will visit 120 ships. Each ship carries an average crew of 25 which means approximately 3000 seafarers visit the Port each year and our volunteers interface with approximately 1000 during the year.
The Ministry appreciates the support of the Big Rock Foundation in providing funds to help with much needed upgrades to the Center.