Ben Bailey writes:
CANON Kenneth Peters, who died on 9 May, aged 66, after a long illness, devoted his ministry to seafarers and to the maritime community.
As a leading voice on maritime human rights, Canon Peters was often on the frontline campaigning for changes to international law and ensuring that shipping companies took seriously their responsibilities regarding crew health and wellbeing.
Canon Peters found a passion for maritime ministry while he was serving as a chaplaincy assistant in Dublin and Rotterdam. During his many ship visits, he saw for himself the difficult lives that seafarers face, and provided pastoral support and witness to them.
After serving his title in Mountain Ash, in the Church in Wales, he transferred to a chaplaincy post in Liverpool, working with seafarers from all over the world who were calling into the busiest port in the north-west. From there, his work took him overseas, and, for seven years, he served as the Port Chaplain to Kobe, in Japan. While there, he completed an MBA and oversaw the building of a new seafarers’ centre.
Returning from Japan, Canon Peters spent a further four years leading maritime ministry across Liverpool and the north-west, until 1994, when he joined the International Headquarters of the Missions to Seamen. It was here that he tirelessly travelled the world and campaigned for social justice.
Within the mission, Canon Peters established high standards in the provision of quality local advocacy, always emphasising the importance of partnership. As a leader, he chaired the UK arm of the International Christian Maritime Association (ICMA) and worked with sister organisations from across the Christian denominations. He championed the need for maritime ministries to upskill in areas of post-trauma and critical incident counselling.
While leading on a macro level, he never lost sight of his calling to minister to those in need. During his tenure, he worked with people on a range of issues from wrongful imprisonment to those who had suffered the horror of being attacked by pirates at sea.
In the maritime industry, Canon Peters was a much valued international trainer. During his career, he trained great shipping organisations in the areas of crew welfare and international law. Such was the industry respect for him that, in 2014, he was appointed Governor of the United Nations World Maritime University in Malmö, Sweden.
He influenced policy and made regular interventions at international forums, including the International Maritime Organization, where he was Chair of the ICMA delegation, and at the International Labour Organization. He worked closely with many global shipping, trade, and professional associations to bring about positive change for those he served.
To all his dealings, Canon Peters brought academic rigour and long practical experience. All who knew him experienced his unfailing warmth and kindness. His discreet pastoral skills and love of people sat naturally alongside his professionalism.
Over the last 20 years of his life, he wrestled with serious illness. This highlighted another aspect of his character. He possessed the most immense courage, continuing with an absolute commitment to his ministry, and sustaining an extraordinary pace of travel, for most of those years. He rarely spoke about his illness and never complained, even when things were very difficult indeed. He would always say that three things sustained him: “family, friends, and faith”.
Canon Ken Peters was and remains an enormous inspiration to the life and witness of the Mission to Seafarers. He also won enormous respect within the global maritime industry, where he is widely honoured. Countless are those who will be touched by his death. We give thanks for an extraordinary life well lived to the glory of God.
