Report: UK's Seafaring Community is in Decline
The United Kingdom is on track for a massive decline in the number of its homegrown seafarers over the next decade and a half owing to rising challenges, which is also making the country struggle to recruit the next generation of seafarers.
A new report commissioned by the Maritime Charities Group (MCG) shows that due to burnout and safety concerns, the UK’s diverse seafaring community is vanishing at an unprecedented rate. Currently, the community - defined as active seafarers, former seafarers, and dependent children - is estimated at more than half a million. By 2040, the community is projected to decline by 40 percent to around 300,000. In an extreme scenario, projections indicate a substantial 75 percent decrease to as low as 131,000.
The future is gloomy for the community of the UK's active seafarers, which is expected to decrease by approximately six percent from 35,000 to 33,000 - or even as low as 23,000, in an extreme scenario. This would mean a loss of one in three seafarers.
According to the report - based on a survey of hundreds of seafarers and their families - the strains that come with the job are the main contributing factors for the declining numbers. For instance, two out of five seafarers believe their vessels are unsafe due to lack of crew, while only one in three agree that they receive adequate shore leave. While on duty in the high seas for weeks and even months, 40 percent of seafarers reported that they do not get enough sleep onboard. Other factors like lack of social interaction and workplace bullying are also a persistent challenge.
The declining numbers of seafarers, coupled by the challenges to recruit, are a major worry for the UK’s shipping industry, which contributes $22 billion in gross value to the national economy annually. Its maritime sector directly employs more than 98,000 people at sea and on shore in roles including cargo, fishing, ferries, superyachts, cruise ships and workboats, and also supports 728,000 jobs.
Seafarers handle 90 percent of the country’s traded goods and support the Royal Navy via the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, as well as crewing cruise ships, ferries and more. Many more are employed in the commercial fishing industry.
“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,” said Tim Slingsby, MCG chair.
To safeguard the UK’s seafarers’ community, the MCG wants maritime welfare charities to take urgent action, including reviewing eligibility criteria to expand the number of seafarers they can support, and working with policymakers to ensure standards on seafarer safety and wellbeing.