Nautilus International has urged the UK government to match infrastructure investment with commitment to maritime skills and seafarer development.
The government's announcement of over £1.1 billion in maritime investment represents a significant opportunity for Britain's coastal communities. However, the Union warned that the initiative risks falling short unless it includes a robust commitment to training and supporting UK maritime professionals.
Nautilus International general secretary Mark Dickinson welcomed the investment in ports and green maritime technologies, including shore power systems and clean fuel innovations, but stressed that infrastructure alone cannot deliver maritime resilience or economic prosperity.
'Whilst we applaud the government's commitment to backing our ports with this investment, we must not forget that ships and ports require skilled people to operate them safely and efficiently,' Mr Dickinson said. 'The risk here is that we're seeing the repackaging of existing commitments dressed up as transformative new investment, whilst the critical need for seafarer training and skills development remains unaddressed.
'Britain's maritime sector has historically been the backbone of our island nation's economy and remains vital to our national security and resilience,' Mr Dickinson said. 'Yet we continue to see a decline in UK seafarer numbers at a time when a global health pandemic and subsequent global supply chain disruptions demonstrated just how critical these skills are to our national resilience.
'We welcome the focus on coastal communities and the potential for job creation, but we need assurance that these highly skilled jobs are going to be fairly paid and come with investments in skills both ashore and at sea,' Mr Dickinson said. 'The real economic and resilience multiplier effect comes from having diverse employment opportunities that includes seafaring.
'The absence of any mention of seafarers in this initiative represents a missed opportunity,' Mr Dickinson said. 'The government talks about making Britain a clean energy superpower and cementing our place as a global maritime hub, but you cannot build a world-leading maritime sector without world-class maritime professionals. Other maritime nations understand this - they invest heavily in their seafarer training programmes because they recognise the strategic importance to the nation of maintaining these crucial skills.'
Nautilus is calling for the government to ensure that seafarer training is not forgotten in its maritime investment strategy, arguing that Britain must support and develop the people needed to maximise the economic and security benefits of its maritime assets.
'This isn't just about jobs - it's about national capability,' Mr Dickinson concluded. 'We need British seafarers for economic prosperity, resilience and national security. The government has shown it understands the importance of maritime infrastructure. Now it must demonstrate the same commitment to the people who will operate and utilise that infrastructure.'
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