All sides of the British shipping industry came together at the House of Commons on 20 March 2017 to make a united call for urgent government action to prevent catastrophic further decline of the UK merchant fleet and the country’s seafaring skills base.
Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson, RMT national secretary Steve Todd and Chamber of Shipping CEO Guy Platten — all former seafarers — spoke about the crisis facing the sector in an hour-long meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Ports & Maritime Group.
Mr Dickinson told how the attempts by successive governments to end the decline in British shipping over the past 30-plus years have only managed to slow the losses rather than reverse them. Latest official statistics show a 14% reduction in the number of UK seafarers over the past decade, he added. Mr Todd warned that retirements and natural wastage will see the total fall by a further third over the next decade unless something is done to reverse recruitment and training trends.
Fewer than half the seafaring jobs on European ships are filled by EU or EEA nationals, Mr Todd pointed out, and barely 10% of the ratings serving on British ships are UK nationals.
‘It really is an appalling state of play,’ he added.
Mr Dickinson said the government should act on the SMarT Plus proposals for improving training support, which had been put forward by the industry partners. The SMarT scheme now covers only one-third of training costs, compared with the average 50% support given across Europe, he said.
‘In Asia, the figure is between 70% and 90% — that is the cost differential we are seeking to address.’
Mr Platten said there is no shortage of young people seeking a career at sea, with more than 1,000 applicants for 20 ratings apprenticeships being offered by Caledonian MacBrayne. However, he argued, UK training costs are very high and the SMarT Plus package would ease the competitive pressures.
The Chamber leader said this year’s cadet intake is around 770 — well below the 1,200 level needed to meet future needs — but owners have pledged to increase numbers if the SMarT Plus plan is approved.
‘For every £1 invested in seafarer training, the government will get £9 back — that’s a very good rate of return,’ he told the meeting.
Source & Image credit: Nautilus
