Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's (MCA) press release of 18 January 2017, what the process is for ensuring the welfare of seafarers working on internationally registered merchant ships detained in UK ports by the MCA for breaches of international maritime regulations.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) will work with the ship’s owner and the flag-State to ensure the welfare of the crew when an internationally registered ship is detained in a UK port.

The MCA also works closely with local welfare bodies, such as the Merchant Navy Welfare Board, the Mission to Seafarers and the Apostleship of the Sea, who also provide assistance to the seafarers.