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UK Seafarer Statistics: 2008

The latest annual National Statistics on seafarers produced by the Department of Transport according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

In 2008, about 25,200 UK nationals were seafarers working regularly at sea, consisting of:

11,400 certificated deck and engine officers (assuming a retirement age of 62),
900 uncertificated technical officers,
1,900 uncertificated 'hotel & other' officers,
4,400 deck,engineroom and general purpose ratings,
4,900 catering/hotel ratings and
1,700 trainees in training.

Of these, about two thirds held qualifications related to handling ships or their engines ('deck' or 'engine' officers and ratings), while the remainder were employed for other duties (e.g. technical or hotel/hospitality staff), or were trainees.

The total number of UK seafarers active at sea in 2008 was about 2 per cent lower than in 2002, the earliest year for which estimates are available for all groups. The number of those with qualifications related to ship and engine handling was down 10 per cent.

The number of certificated officers in 2008 was 20 per cent lower than in 1997. However, the certification system for deck and engine officers has been expanded in recent years, and if the newly eligible groups are excluded, the overall decrease since 1997 is 25 per cent.

The number of certificated officers was 6 per cent lower in 2008 than in 2007.

In 2007/8, there were around 880 new entrant officer cadets, the highest number since the current system began in 1999. The latest figures for new starts in 2008/9 are higher again, standing at 960.

The number of uncertificated technical officers has remained fairly steady, at about 700 to 900, since 2003. The number of uncertificated officers with hotel and other specialisations is more variable: numbers increased from 1,000 to 1,900 between 2007 and 2008.

The overall number of UK ratings in 2008 was about 2 per cent lower than in 2002. The number of deck and engine room ratings was 12 per cent lower, and the number of catering/hotel ratings was 11 per cent higher.

In 2008, two thirds (67%) of certificated officers were aged over 40. The pattern for deck and engine room ratings is similar.

Projections have been made to 2028 of the number of UK certificated officers, based on assumptions about wastage rates, retirement age and cadet intake. The number is projected to decline by 31 per cent by 2018 and by 39 per cent by 2028, largely due to the high average age of officers currently in employment.

All UK seafarers active at sea 2002-2008

Notes

1. The seafarers information comes from several sources and estimates and assumptions have been made in the process of compiling the aggregates. The year-on-year changes, especially in the earlier years' data, are less robust than the longer term trends.

2. The groups which fall within the expanded scope of the UK certification system since 2004 (under the STCW95 system), who would not have been recorded in 1997, include UK nationals with Certificates of Equivalent Competency (i.e. relevant overseas qualifications), and officers with endorsements relating only to tugs and inshore craft or to yachts. There were about 870 such officers in 2008.

3. UK Seafarer Statistics was produced for DfT by London Metropolitan University, in association with the Institute for Employment Research, Warwick University. It is the latest in a series of annual reports bringing together all the information currently available on UK seafarer numbers. The report also contains some limited data on seafarers from other countries where this is available from the same sources. The main data sources are the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the UK Chamber of Shipping and the Merchant Navy Training Board, and the majority of the latest statistics relate to June 2008.