- Active seafarer numbers projected to fall by nearly a third in worst-case scenario.
- Two in five seafarers say ships are unsafe due to understaffing.
- Only a third of seafarers feel they get enough shore leave.
A recent report from the Maritime Charities Group (MCG) paints a concerning picture for the UK’s seafaring community, predicting a significant drop in numbers. Currently, there are over half a million individuals involved, active seafarers, former seafarers, and their dependent children, but this figure is expected to plummet to just 300,000 by 2040. The report also forecasts a 6% average decline in active seafarers, with some estimates suggesting a staggering reduction of nearly a third, reports All At Sea.
Safety and Shore Leave Concerns
Titled Seafarers 2040, the report is based on interviews with hundreds of seafarers and their families. Alarmingly, it reveals that two out of five seafarers already feel their ships are unsafe due to understaffing, and only a third believe they get enough shore leave during their lengthy contracts.
This decline in the community could pose a real challenge for the UK in attracting the next generation of seafarers. Seafarers are crucial, handling 90% of the UK’s traded goods and supporting the Royal Navy through the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, in addition to working on cruise ships, ferries, and other vessels. The report also highlights potential threats to food security stemming from dwindling numbers in commercial fishing.
A Call for Immediate Action from Maritime Charities
The MCG is calling on maritime welfare charities to take swift action, which includes reassessing eligibility criteria to broaden support and collaborating with policymakers to ensure that safety and well-being standards for seafarers, like those outlined in the Maritime Labour Convention, are strictly enforced.
Tim Slingsby on the National Importance of Seafarers
“Seafarers are absolutely crucial to the national interests of the UK. They make sure we all have food on our plate and fuel to heat our homes. If seafaring communities start to disappear it will get harder and harder to restore them and to attract the next generation into vital seafaring careers. The MCG is committed to supporting maritime charities with the challenges that our report identifies, but we need everyone from industry to policy makers to play their part in protecting the health and welfare of seafarers and their families.”
Tina Barnes on Adapting Maritime Charities for Modern Challenges
“This research is sobering and reveals what many in the UK’s maritime and fishing industries have known for some time – the nature of work at sea is changing. This means that maritime welfare charities need to adapt too. Not only do charities need to be able to support the complex needs of an older retired generation, but they also need to reflect and respond to the changing needs of a modern generation who perceive themselves not as seafarers, but as part of the hospitality and leisure industry.”
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Source: All At Sea
