Nautilus Telegraph October 2015

Page 1

Channel crossed Australian union official swims for seafarer charity 35

Meet the cadets Trainees tell the world about their sea experiences 27

NL nieuws Drie pagina’s met nieuws uit Nederland 32-34

Volume 48 | Number 10 | October 2015 | £3.50 €3.70

Study urges action to tackle growing UK skills shortage Nautilus calls for ministers to act urgently to implement Maritime Growth Study proposals

P

Nautilus International has welcomed the publication last month of the UK government’s Maritime Growth Study — and is calling for ministers to act urgently to implement its recommendations. The 137-page report followed an extensive industry-wide consultation on ways in which the UK can maintain its position as a world-leading maritime centre. It sets out 18 recommendations on issues ranging from seafarer training to reform of the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the UK Ship Register (UKSR), and promoting the maritime sector. Study chairman Lord Mountevans said the report was a ‘call to arms to industry and government to actively support and raise the profile of a vital sector that contributes significantly to the economy and which the nation relies on to meet its daily needs’. Describing the study as ‘a hugely important document’, transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin promised that the government would work with the industry ‘to ensure we do all we can to keep Britain a great maritime nation’. Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson commented: ‘This is a very welcome and muchneeded report which provides a clear message about the critical importance of the UK maritime sector and the worrying scale of the challenge it faces. ‘Nautilus commends the government for commissioning the report and for sending out a strong statement of its commitment to the maritime sector. We stand ready to work with ministers and other industry partners to translate the report’s recommendations into the positive actions and proactive policies

01_front.indd 1

Merchant Navy Day was marked across the UK last month. Pictured, left to right, flying the flag at Tower Bridge in London are: Captain Rob Booth, Senior Warden, Honourable Company of Master Mariners; Merchant Navy Welfare Board chairman Bob Jones; Trinity House deputy master Captain Ian McNaught; former First Sea Lord The Rt Hon Lord West of Spithead; the Lord Mayor of London, Alderman Alan Yarrow; Seafarers UK chairman Vice-Admiral Peter Wilkinson; Marine Society & Sea Cadets chairman Captain Nigel Palmer; UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Guy Platten; and former shipping minister Jim Fitzpatrick ‒ see page 18 for more reports.

that the sector needs,’ he added. The study identifies three main areas where coordinated action by government and industry are needed — leadership, skills and marketing. It argues for measures to create ‘a more commercial and responsive UK maritime administration within government’ — including changes to the focus and culture of the MCA and the UKSR, and the creation of a single, industry-wide promotional body to raise the sector’s domestic profile and ‘effectively market the UK abroad as a

place for maritime business’. The report points to evidence of a growing gap between supply and demand for skilled seafarers, and warns that the opportunities to expand the UK maritime sector will be ‘severely undermined’ without a strong pool of expertise. It says more work needs to be done to assess future needs for UK seafarers, and calls for the proposed industry-wide body to develop a ‘skills strategy’ to address these issues. The study recommends a fresh review to

ensure the government’s Support for Maritime Training scheme is ‘fit for purpose’ and proposes the creation of a Maritime Skills Investment Fund to coordinate various programmes to assist seafarer training and to encourage more maritime businesses to contribute to the costs. Mr Dickinson said he welcomed the fact that half of the recommendations address maritime skills. ‘We are pleased to see that the study reflects many of the points that we presented in our evidence —not least the fun-

damental role of seafaring skills in underpinning so many aspects of the multi-billion maritime sector,’ he added. ‘Our London International Shipping Week seminar on shore demand for experienced seafarers highlighted the serious threat facing the UK maritime cluster as a consequence of more than two decades of inadequate recruitment into the industry and we believe it is essential that the government acts without delay on the report’s recommendations. ‘However, we are concerned that there is nothing in the report to provide more financial support for seafarer training and employment and that difficult decisions may be kicked into the long grass,’ Mr Dickinson said. ‘The report seems to suggest that the skills gap is all about marketing,’ he noted. ‘However, the reality is that there is no shortage of young people wanting to go to sea — instead there is a lack of sufficient training opportunities for them.’ Mr Dickinson said the UK should pay close attention to the policies adopted in the Netherlands, which have delivered fleet growth and increased seafarer employment and training. ‘There is a lot we can learn from the action being taken in other countries and the Dutch model is one that the UK could do well to consider,’ he pointed out. Mr Dickinson said Nautilus also has reservations about the proposals to reform the MCA and the UKSR. ‘There is undoubtedly a case for change,’ he said, ‘but great care should be taken to ensure that the traditional values of the Merchant Navy and the red ensign’s quality reputation are not watered down in the scramble to compete with other registers.’ g Full report — see page 21.

Seminar puts spotlight on shore threat maritime services will be F lost unless effective action is taken Britain’s global lead in

to boost UK seafarer training and employment, Nautilus warned on the first day of London International Shipping Week last month. Opening a high-level seminar to put the spotlight on shore-based demand for experienced seafarers, general secretary Mark Dickinson warned of a long-term failure to recruit anything near the levels required to meet future needs. Expert speakers said shore-based companies will face rising costs as the gap between supply and demand grows. And Phil Parry, chairman of the recruitment firm Spinnaker Global, revealed details of a survey carried out with Nautilus showing that almost two-thirds of former seafarers working ashore consider that seagoing experience is essential for their job. g Full report — see pages 22-23.

Inside F Capital ideas

Union plays a full part in London’s international shipping week — pages 19-27 F Future perfect?

New report shows how shipping and seafaring may change in the next 15 years — page 29

F Final frontier?

P&I expert tells how to avoid the risks of enclosed space accidents — page 28

23/09/2015 18:25


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.