Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to review the issuing of Certificates of Equivalent Competency to non-UK resident officers in the British merchant shipping industry.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has a specialist team that checks that any seafarer, who applies for a Certificate of Equivalent Competency to allow them to work on a UK-flagged ship, meets the necessary standards.

The MCA continues to engage with stakeholders and social partners, through groups such as the Merchant Navy Training Board, so that the next generation of seafarer can meet the needs of a global industry. I have asked the Chief Executive of the MCA to undertake a review of the current arrangements.