A UKRAINIAN seafarer has seen his two-month-old son for the first time over the Internet, from a centre in the North-East.

On a visit to The Mission to Seafarers Centre at Seal Sands, Teesside, he became the first seaman to use the one-to-one video conferencing facility.

Port Chaplain Ken Cornforth said staff and fellow seafarers were in tears as they watched the father smiling and waving at his son.

He said: "He was crying with joy. It was just lovely."

Computers at the centre are permanently linked to the Internet and seafarers can send and receive e-mails, talk privately over headphones to their wives and families, and now, thanks to the webcam, see them on screen.

Mr Cornforth said: "It was just so wonderful to see it all working."