# Just how many



## VTR1000 (Feb 24, 2007)

Hi guys, I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for so ....

Yes, a very dumb question I know given the present state of the industry but I just have to ask to satisfy my own cuiosity. Me, I swallowed the anchor, so to speak, in the early 90's but still miss the job. 

My question is, Just how many (or few?) British people still work at sea now, and where?

Thanks
VTR1000


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

19,000 Fishermen


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## Hague (Feb 23, 2007)

VTR1000 said:


> Hi guys, I did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for so ....
> 
> Yes, a very dumb question I know given the present state of the industry but I just have to ask to satisfy my own cuiosity. Me, I swallowed the anchor, so to speak, in the early 90's but still miss the job.
> 
> ...


VTR1000
A difficult question to answer especially in terms of how many British are at sea.
Once, an indicator was the size of the British Flag in terms of numbers.
However, since the MCA/British Government have been busy turning the Red Ensign into a 'Flag of Convenience' the old criteria does not apply.
Hague


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## VTR1000 (Feb 24, 2007)

I agree Hague. Having watched a program recently on Discovery Channel about a box boat with a British master, I became curious about the numbers of Brits still at sea. I haven't lived in the UK for a long time now and really have no idea at all. What about the cross channel ferries, are they still manned by Brits?


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

There are reckoned to be 1,500,000 seafarers worldwide although I have no idea as to how many are British. It is also reckoned that the next 'generation' of seafarers will come from China.
Peter4447(Thumb)


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## fred henderson (Jun 13, 2005)

*UK Seafarers*

This is a very difficult question to answer. The UK Department for Transport has produced an estimate but goes to considerable length to stress that the numbers are by no means absolute. They are however the best available. For 2005 they think there were the following UK Seafarers: -

13,240 Certified Officers
2,910 Uncertified Officers
9,320 Ratings
1,050 Officer Trainees

26,520 Total Active at Sea

The total has been reasonably constant over the past five years. The number of certified officers is expected to decline by at least 50% because of the age profile of the existing officers. Most of the uncertified officers and about half of the ratings work in Hotel/Catering departments in cruise ships and ferries.

According to MCA some 5,590 foreign Certified Officers served on UK registered ships. The leading nationalities being Polish (883), Russian (515), Indian (509) Croatian (440) and Filipino and Romanian (both with 421). Interestingly Chinese do not feature in the table. There is no information concerning foreign ratings.

Fred(Thumb)


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Does anybody have any idea how this compares to, say, 1970?

Always seemed to be an awful lot of us then.

Kris/


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## Peter4447 (Jan 26, 2006)

Hi Fred

The info I have on the Chinese is that as we are all aware UK crews were replaced because of lower wages a trend that started with the Greeks. These, however, have also been replaced by other foreign nationals for the same reason. In recent years we have seen many Filipinos and many from those countries that were at one time behind the Iron Curtain coming on the scene. Paying the lowest wages for many shipowners still remains the dominant factor and it appears because of this that the Chinese will become the next generation of seafarers.

Peter4447(Thumb)


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## nick evans (Dec 12, 2006)

hi peter4447,last read there were 350,000 chinese ready and waiting.nick.


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## Oz. (Sep 6, 2005)

350,000 waiting, and thats just for the deckboys jobs.


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## Trader (Jul 1, 2005)

A case in point. The MSC Napoli aground at the moment on the Devon coast. British flag, out of 20 crew only 2 were British and they were Cadets.

Trader


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## Hague (Feb 23, 2007)

These token Brits aboard the British FOC ships is linked to the Tonnage Tax. Taking this further, look at Evergreen being welcomed with open arms into the British Registry by the then CEO of the MCA. Where may I ask did the same gentleman go on leaving the MCA?. Would someone please tell me.........!!!
Brgds
Hague


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## Shaky Mick (Oct 24, 2009)

My understanding Marconi Sahib is when I went to sea in 1966 is there was 160,000 of registered at the various Shipping Federation offices in the U.K.


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## K urgess (Aug 14, 2006)

Thanks for that, Mick. (Thumb)
Sounds about right.
Cheers


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