British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus

(asked on 8th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of UK seafarers stranded in foreign ports as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 16th June 2020

We recognise this is a worrying time for British crew on board cruise ships around the world. It is primarily the responsibility of their employers - the cruise ship operators - to ensure the welfare and safety of their crew. The Government is in direct contact with these operators, as well as directly with many crew members and their families. Our overseas missions are liaising closely with local authorities in an effort to facilitate disembarkation and ensure British crew can access flights home. The Government restated its commitment to the International Labour Organisation and International Maritime Organisation at the start of this crisis, ensuring we lead globally on our obligations to seafarers' welfare, and this is a position we intend to uphold.

Not all British crew are seeking to return to the UK. Some may wish to stay with the ship (with their employer's consent), while others may be required by their role to do so as part of the minimum safe manning requirements for the vessel. This is a legislative and flag state requirement to ensure the continued seaworthiness of vessels.

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