MARITIME UNION RMT says that new UK flagged vessels like the Atlantic Sea – which is being ‘christened’ in Liverpool on Thursday 20 October – are failing the shipping industry by not employing UK seafarers.
All of Atlantic Container Line’s (ACL) UK flagged fleet of new ro-ro container ships will not have a single UK seafarer working on-board, despite the vessels being registered in the Port of Liverpool.
The union welcomes ACL’s new investment in the maritime industry, including the £400m pumped into a new container terminal at Liverpool2 and the new tonnage onto the UK Flag. However, the proud maritime traditions of major port cities like Liverpool are ignored or forgotten when UK flagged vessels like the Atlantic Sea do not have any UK seafarers working on-board.
Taking into account leave patterns, training and turnover, the five new ACL container ships will eventually have a total of 300 crew working on-board.
Mick Cash, RMT General Secretary, said:
“The Government’s policy is to double the amount of tonnage registered under the UK Flag by 2020. This could be a golden opportunity to rebuild UK seafarer numbers and preserve the trade for future generations.
“Shipping bosses cannot be allowed to employ the cheapest labour they can find in a race to the bottom to secure profits, while they destroy the domestic shipping industry, all the under the UK Flag.
“It is vital for the future of the seafaring industry in this country that there are UK seafarer jobs and training on UK Flagged ships, in addition to onshore jobs in maritime business and port services.”
Source: RMT