While British Ports Association welcomed the new measures announced during the UK Chancellor’s Summer Statement on 8 July, it further highlighted the need for greater focus on coastal regions and green investment.
UK maritime charity, The Shipwrecked Mariners’ Society, has established a £1M COVID-19 response fund to provide financial support to UK merchant seafarers and fishers affected by COVID-19 pandemic.
On the occasion of Seafarers Awareness Week, the Maritime Charities Group, comprising 10 major maritime charities, has joined forces with the Merchant Navy Training Board to publish a good practice guide to designing a training course for seafarers on mental health and wellbeing awareness.
On the occasion of UK’s Seafarers Awareness Week, maritime charity Seafarers UK noted a lack of reliable source of information about suicides at sea. In this regard, the charity urged the ILO to consider steps in line with MLC, to ensure that all seafarer suicides are accurately identified.
Following United Kingdom’s ambition to be net-zero until 2050, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) urges government to cut emissions and pressures IMO to make its targets more strict.
The ICS is encouraging ships around the world to sound their horns when in port at 12.00 local time to remind governments of the ongoing crew change crisis. This comes as seafarers are still not yet classified as Key Workers in many countries, meaning they are unable to embark or disembark ships due to national travel restrictions.
A Belfast Maritime Consortium led by Artemis Technologies has won a £33 million UK Government innovation grant to develop zero emissions ferries in the city.
The UK Geospatial Commission has launched the Coastal Zone Mapping project. With representation from British Geological Survey (BGS), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Environment Agency, Natural England, Ordnance Survey and the UK Hydrographic Office, the project aims to create a better understanding of challenges faced by coastal data users and find new ways to overcome them.
Marking the International Day of the Seafarer, the UK Government announced it will host the first international summit on the impact of COVID-19 on crew changes next month, bringing together UN, political and business leaders from across the globe.
The Scottish Government has decided to amend regulations so Scottish seafarers no longer have to isolate for 14-days when returning to Scotland for more than 14 days of leave.
