Nautilus welcomed the publication in July 2019 of the UK government’s Maritime Annual Report 2018-2019 – an update on the progress made over the past year in supporting and expanding the UK maritime industry.
The report is introduced by maritime minister Nusrat Ghani, who has kept this role following the ministerial reshuffle by new prime minister Boris Johnson.
Highlights of the past year, Ms Ghani says, include the creation of the Maritime 2050 long-term strategy document and the launch of the Women in Maritime Charter.
The report also notes that work has begun on amending minimum wage legislation 'to provide greater protection to all seafarers working domestically in UK territorial waters', and this is expected to reach fruition in 2019-2020.
The report says that the government has supported the training of new seafarers by allocating 116 SMarT Plus placements in 2018-2019, bringing the cadet intake to 802. Continuing efforts to increase the annual cadet intake through SMarT funding will be accompanied in the coming year by the delivery of further maritime apprenticeships including one for Boatmaster - Tidal Inland Waterways.
Nautilus head of strategy Debbie Cavaldoro commented: 'We are pleased to see the Department for Transport being so clear about its achievements and ambitions. Especially welcome is the renewed focus on people, which is something we campaigned for in the development of the Maritime 2050 vision.'
The Maritime Annual Report 2018-2019 is available to download from the gov.uk website.
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