The employment implications of the United Kingdomʹs merchant fleetʹs decline

This paper examines the employment implications of the decline in the UKʹs merchant fleet, particularly over the past decade. Firstly, it is established that the number of UK officers and ratings fell in direct correspondence with the volume of shipping tonnage on the UK shipping register. Secondly, the impact of the transfer of UK owned tonnage to other flag registers is examined. It is further argued that the decline in seafarer numbers has made the task of projecting future trends more difficult, because the quality of information concerning their numbers has become less accurate. Lack of information about age profiles means that accurate forecasting has become extremely difficult. As their numbers decline, the problem of accuracy becomes more acute. These problems appear to have been exacerbated by the deregulation process.