DfT should publish the outcome of its consultation on maritime autonomy and remote operations as soon as possible so the sector has a clear understanding of the regulatory framework it will be operating within. DfT should also establish the promised Centre for Smart Shipping as soon as possible, empowering it to work with the sector to enable innovation to prosper.


Ports shouldn’t be ‘Swiss army knife’ Following the outcry over P&O


Ferries’ sacking of nearly 800 seafarers in March 2022, the Government announced plans to enforce the UK national minimum wage equivalent for all workers on ships that use UK ports 120 times a year or more.


The Seafarers Wages Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, would place the burden of enforcing this on individual harbours and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. For the ports sector to be effective and competitive it is important that the Government department and agencies they work with have a good understanding of their role and competencies.


DfT should clarify across government the role of ports authorities and protect them from inappropriate


enforcement burdens. Ports authorities cannot be used as the Government’s ‘Swiss army knife’ to undertake an ever greater variety of tasks without appropriate resourcing and expertise.


Strategy is too ‘muddled’ Witnesses told the Committee that


the Maritime 2050 strategy contains so many recommendations that it appears to lack clear priorities and focus. More distinction is needed between which of its 184 recommendations are specific actions and which are aspirations.


DfT should have dialogue with industry to streamline and prioritise the strategy’s recommendations, and set out targets for each, so that it becomes a more useful tool for tracking progress and accountability.


Grow the ship register


The Government should set concrete targets for how it will grow the UK Ship Register, after it shrank by a third between 2009 and 2021. It is currently the 24th largest in the world, measured by tonnage.


Having more ships registered with the UK makes the country more influential in terms of setting standards for safety and workers’ welfare.


The Committee praises the Government for creating the UK Shipping Concierge Service in 2021, which provides bespoke financial guidance and support for firms wishing to register in the UK.


Level up coastal areas Coastal towns and cities could


be levelled up if the Government continues to develop new ‘regional maritime clusters’, which are concentrations of firms and institutions around ports. The purpose of clusters is to “maintain and enhance the attractiveness of the UK’s regional maritime offer”.


The Committee argues that coastal shipping and inland waterways were overlooked in Maritime 2050, and should be supported by a review of the funding streams available to promote modal shift. This part of the sector should also be seen as an area of growth for domestic seafaring jobs.


Download the full report at https://bit.ly/3JpspLG.


The Report • June 2023 • Issue 104 | 79


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