Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 July 2017 to Question 4563, what estimate he has made of the number of UK seafarers able to call or have Skype conversations with friends and family in the UK when they are in foreign ports.

The government has made no estimate of the number of UK seafarers able to call or have Skype conversations with friends and family in the UK when they are in foreign ports.

Similar to foreign seafarers in UK ports, UK seafarers are able to use the services of seafarer welfare providers in foreign ports, such as free wi-fi, to call or have Skype conversations with people in the UK. In addition, some major foreign ports and shipowners allow UK seafarers to use their wi-fi for free