Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Table SFR0302 of his Department's statistical release, Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2017, published on 30 May 2018, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of (a) Deck, (b) Engine and (c) General Purpose Ratings working at sea who are aged between 40 and 61 years.

The increase in ratings shown by these statistics is welcome. To date, there has been no assessment of the factors that have contributed to this trend, though an increase in vessels in operation and a recovery in the offshore sector could be contributors. These statistics can also fluctuate depending on the membership of the Chamber of Shipping or the level of response to the annual manpower survey.

It is essential there is a growing stream of people entering seafaring careers to counter the aging demographic we see in the UK’s seafarer population. That is why there are a number of policies in place to support the training of both ratings and officers. These include a range of maritime apprenticeships with more in development, a doubling of the SMarT budget from £15m to £30m over the next seven years and a drive to address gender diversity to encourage more females to enter maritime careers.

The Department for Transport is keen to promote training and employment opportunities for ratings. The Ratings Taskforce, of which the Department is an active member, has been reconvened to consider this, and there is a role for industry and unions to support Government initiatives in this area.