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Good Morning

Today marks 30 years since the Zeebrugge Disaster when a British car ferry – the MS Herald of Free Enterprise - capsized just 100 metres from the Belgian shore and 193 people tragically lost their lives. Some 650 passengers were on board, many having taken advantage of a newspaper’s discounted offer of a day trip from Dover. What seems so alarming about the disaster is the speed with which the whole thing unfolded and how unexpected it was. The ferry took just 90 seconds to capsize – which was not even long enough to send an SOS. It took just 90 seconds for the lives of 193 people to be lost. 90 seconds for their friends and families’ lives to be irrevocably shattered. What caused the disaster is believed to have been water getting in through the bow doors.
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I’ve become increasingly aware in recent years how quickly life can change. Everything we know to be true, the stability that we have, the certainty, the comfort and security – can be taken away in an instant. And so often, when the storms of life come, we can find that we are isolated. We may have drifted too far away from others. Not just from those we might call in an emergency – but from those who would watch over us and walk with us through life, ready to rescue us when we’re in distress.

Let us pray today for the families and friends of those who died on the Herald of Free Enterprise. May they find comfort and a peace that passes understanding as they remember the tragedy. And let us pray for others facing painful times – may they never feel alone. Amen