The Seafarers Hospital Society (SHS) has appointed Captain Kuba Szymanski as the new Chair of the board of the 200-year-old UK maritime charity, following the retirement of Peter McEwen MBE MNM. 

Szymanski, who is well known to Afloat readers for his offshore yacht racing exploits where he campaigns the Isle of Man-based Polished Manx on the ISORA circuit, is Secretary-General for InterManager, the international trade association for the ship and crew management sector, and has a well-deserved reputation for advocating for seafarers – often bringing his personal experience as a merchant navy officer into play.

“I am absolutely delighted and honoured to join the Seafarers Hospital Society, one of the oldest maritime charities in the UK,” Capt. Szymanski said. “I will be part of a highly motivated team who have been working for many years on behalf of seafarers. I am looking forward to this new challenge, which sits alongside my current role with InterManager, and hope to bring to it my knowledge of ship management and experience within the philanthropic sector.”

Capt. Szymanski will join the Society in May 2022, following the retirement of current SHS Chair Peter McEwen MBE MNM. Peter McEwan was elected to the role in 2010 and has led the Society through a period of development, including a response to Covid-19 and the marking of the 200th anniversary of the Society.

The InterManager Secretary-General brings over three decades of experience in the maritime sector, including the production of international shipping industry Key Performance Indicators (KPI). He currently chairs the association’s Human Element Industry Group (HEIG) Enclosed Space Committee.

With McEwen at the helm over the past decade, SHS expanded on new initiatives for the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets and has overseen successful Society projects and collaborations. These include the provision of free, fair and impartial advice through the Seafarers Advice & Information Line (SAIL), co-funded with The Seafarers Charity and Greenwich Hospital, funding online counselling services via Togetherall, and the SeaFit Project with The Fishermen’s Mission.