Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to assist British merchant sailors who have been marooned at sea as a result of the covid-19 pandemic.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport wrote to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) on 23 March, reaffirming our international obligations on seafarers' welfare and transit, and calling for clear international guidance for port, flag and coastal states on seafarers' welfare and facilitating seafarer transit. Where vessel operators request assistance to repatriate their employees, the UK Government stands ready to work as quickly as possible to help those who may need rapid consular assistance.

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.