Fleet decline & the volcano

The Icelandic Volcano these past 2 months has really given the Maritime Community an opportunity to highlight their cause.

Unfortunately, I really have not seen anyone from the Maritime Industry pushing the fact that freight is still being moved around the world with no issues what-so-ever.  All the news stories highlight how “travel around Europe etc” as been paralyzed.

Nautilus UK has said that the European Transport Crisis caused by the volcanic ash (as we speak today on the 5^th of May airspace in Scotland has been shutdown again) has highlighted the need for a sizable UK Merchant Navy Fleet, with British Crew….But who is championing this issue?  Nautilus quotes “This crisis demonstrates the fragility of the just-in-time transport chains and underlined the UK’s dependence upon shipping for food, petrol & other supplies that we usually take for granted.

The UK is a seafaring nation & needs to ensure that there is an adequate number of British Ships & Seafarers to respond to national emergencies.

Nautilus UK & the TUC did table an emergency motion, here is the text.

The text of the emergency motion tabled by Nautilus at the Scottish TUC reads:

This conference notes with concern the disruption and inconvenience caused to supply chains, passengers, and the economy by the suspension of flights in northern Europe as a result of the Icelandic volcanic eruption. Conference believes that this event underlines the importance of our transport infrastructure and the need to maintain investment and resources in all modes to ensure integrated systems.

Conference also notes that the government is considering requisitioning merchant ships to repatriate Britons stranded overseas. However, conference notes with alarm that since the last time UK merchant ships were requisitioned by the government (during the Falklands War) the UK fleet has declined in ship numbers from almost 1,000 to fewer than 300 and the number of UK seafarers serving in the UK shipping industry has been cut from almost 55,000 to barely 20,000.

Conference therefore records its doubts about the availability of adequate numbers of British ships at a time of national emergency and the danger of relying upon the open market and foreign vessels at a time of crisis.

Conference also condemns the threats by UK shipowners to leave the red ensign as a result of progressive regulation to end pay discrimination between seafarers of different nationalities on British ships, noting that any further exodus from the UK flag would increase the nation’s dependence upon foreign-registered vessels.

Conference notes the UK’s continued strong reliance upon shipping for its economic and strategic wellbeing and therefore calls upon the government to take proactive measures to further protect the British shipping industry and to stimulate increased recruitment and training of British seafarers.

It is just these types of unforeseen emergencies which prove the UK must keep a viable Merchant Fleet.