National statistics

Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2023

Published 22 February 2024

About this release

This statistical release provides estimates for the number of UK nationals working as seafarers, including some demographic breakdowns. The release also covers some statistics on non-UK national seafarers who are qualified to work in the UK shipping industry. These statistics are updated annually and reflect numbers as of 30 June 2023 for both the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the UK Chamber of Shipping (CoS) data.

This publication includes both accredited official statistics and official statistics in development. For more information, see the about these statistics section.

Main points

After adjusting for non-response, an estimated 24,100 UK seafarers were active at sea in 2023, just 2% below the 2019 pre-pandemic figure.

Chart 1: UK seafarers active at sea by type, 2023 (SFR0101)

In 2023, the number of UK seafarers active at sea by type was:

• 10,930 Certificated Officers

• 10,180 Ratings

• 1,540 Uncertificated Officers

• 1,450 Officer Cadets

Between 2012 and 2020 numbers have been broadly stable with the exception of an increase in 2018 (due to a large increase in Ratings related to changes in the CoS membership). Related to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, numbers decreased markedly in 2021 and remained low in 2022. For 2023 onwards, data provided by MCA has been calculated using a different methodology and is not comparable with previous years.

The majority of UK seafarers active at sea and working for companies within the membership of the UK Chamber of Shipping were male (84%), with larger female representation in uncertificated Officers and Ratings.

In 2023, there were 41,930 valid certificates which were issued by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to work on UK vessels, 14,960 of these were UK nationals. These figures had been broadly stable between 2010 and 2020 but saw a decline in 2021 and 2022. For 2023 onwards, data provided by MCA has been calculated using a different methodology and is not comparable with previous years.

Seafarer statistics publications

This release presents a range of statistics relating to the number of seafarers working in the UK shipping industry, including the best current estimate of the number of UK nationals active at sea. These figures are used to monitor broad trends in employment of seafarers and are used by the Department for Transport, Government, industry bodies and trade unions.

The publication data comes from 2 sources. Certification data comes from the seafarer documentation system provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). This data is presented in the SFR02 series of tables. The second data source is the seafarer employment survey run by the UK Chamber of Shipping. This data is presented in the SFR03 series of tables. Both data sources are used to produce estimates for UK seafarers active at sea which is presented in SFR0101 (infographic 1).

Infographic 1: Graphical representation of publication data

Data sources

This release presents figures from 2 main data sources.

In section 2, data on Officers who have certificates which allow them to work in the UK shipping industry is presented. This is obtained from data held by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) in their Seafarer Documentation System. These figures should provide good estimates of seafarers with certificates. For 2023 onwards, data provided by MCA has been calculated using a different methodology and is not comparable with previous years.

In section 3, data collected via the annual Seafarer Employment Survey conducted by the UK Chamber of Shipping (CoS) of their members is presented. This provides seafarer employment figures for member companies, of all ranks, which has been adjusted to consider non-response of member companies. Details about the methodology used can be found in the technical note. As non-adjusted figures trends over time can be impacted by changes in response, it is recommended to use the adjusted figures.

The 2 sources are combined to produce an estimate of UK seafarers active at sea as set out in section 1, the best estimate of UK nationals working at sea in ‘merchant navy’ roles. This includes any UK national working on a registered vessel in a regular sea-going capacity. It is not possible to tell from the MCA data whether individuals are active at sea. Therefore, in section 1 it is assumed that 84% of those holding certificates are active at sea and that their retirement age is 62. See accompanying technical note for more information on methodology.

Other relevant information is presented where possible, including on Officer Cadets (from MCA, section 2) and maritime apprenticeships (Department for Education, section 4).

Coverage and key definitions

Coverage

These statistics relate to the UK shipping industry, though this is not easy to define precisely. MCA data relates to Officers of all nationalities who hold certificates to work on UK registered vessels. CoS data relates to member companies, which typically means that they will have some interest or base in the UK (though the seafarers they employ may work on vessels registered in another country). Tug owner companies were included for the first time in the 2018 figures and have been included since.

Active at sea

This statistical release refers to seafarers ‘active at sea’. This is defined as any seafarer working regularly in a sea-going activity. This release assumes 16% of certificated seafarers are not currently active at sea (United Kingdom Seafarers Analysis 2004, D Glen, J Dowden and R Wilson, London Metropolitan).

Time period covered

MCA and CoS data reflects the industry as of 30 June of each year.

Trends over time

These figures are intended to provide broad indications of trends over time, however CoS data can fluctuate for a number of reasons including changes in CoS membership or in the industry, or survey non-response. Adjustments were made to account for survey non-response for the first time in 2020, details of which can be found in the technical note. Changes in CoS membership can still affect trends and can still cause year-on-year fluctuation.

Section 1: Overview of UK seafarers, 2023

To serve as a certificated Officer on a merchant ship, a Certificate of Competency (CoC) or Certificate of Equivalent Competency (CEC)/Flag State Endorsements (FSE) must be obtained. In the UK, these are issued by the MCA.

Trainee Officers, or Cadets, are not part of a ship’s crew but are on board to gain experience.

Uncertificated Officers are those without certificates who are employed in technical, catering or hotel functions, mainly in the cruise and ferry sectors.

Ratings are semi-skilled experienced workers who are not required to revalidate their competencies as certificated Officers are, or other staff without maritime training (for example, hotel and catering staff).

An estimated 24,100 UK seafarers were active at sea in 2023.

This estimated figure is based on returns from the CoS which have been adjusted for non-response and MCA certificate data. Ratings and uncertificated Officers active at sea estimates are based on adjusted data from the CoS survey, with Cadet estimates based on MCA data. Certificated Officer estimates are also based on MCA data with an active at sea and retirement assumption applied.

Figures for 2023 show there was an estimated 10,930 certificated Officers, 1,540 uncertificated Officers and 10,180 Ratings active at sea, with a further 1,450 Officer Cadets in training at sea in the financial year ending 2023.

Chart 2: UK seafarers active at sea by type, 2013 to 2023 (SFR0101)

The total number of seafarers active at sea remained broadly stable between 2012 and 2017 at around 24,000 to 25,000 each year. There was an increase in 2018 following which figures returned to normal levels in 2019 and 2020 but decreased further in 2021 and remained broadly stable at that level in 2022.

For 2023 onwards, data provided by MCA has been calculated using a different methodology and is not comparable with previous years. The number of Ratings has fluctuated around 10,000 between 2012 and 2017, with an increase in 2018. The increase in 2018 partly reflects changes in membership of the CoS. This affects the number of Ratings recorded in particular.

Therefore, the interpretation of these trends should be made with caution. The number of certificated Officers has remained stable at about 11,000 between 2012 and 2020 with a decline in 2021 and 2022. Figures for both Officer Cadets and uncertificated Officers have remained consistently below 2,000 with no major changes in trend (chart 2).

These figures do not capture all UK seafarers active at sea. Ratings and uncertificated Officers employed by CoS non-member companies are omitted. Past attempts to collect data from non-member companies suggest that they employ some UK seafarers though a relatively small number of UK nationals compared to CoS members. No attempt is made to adjust for seafarers collected in the CoS survey where nationality is not recorded. Taken together, these factors could mean that the total number of UK seafarers is undercounted by a few thousand.

Section 2: Certificated Officers and Officer Cadets (MCA data)

Seafarer certification

Under the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW95), seafarers performing deck or engine Officer roles on commercial vessels are required to hold a Certificate of Competency (CoC) or equivalent.

Non-UK Officers graduating from UK colleges obtain the same CoC as UK nationals. Some non-UK CoC holders will proceed to work on UK registered vessels while others will use the UK CoC to work on non-UK registered vessels.

Officers with training from outside the UK are required to hold a Certificate of Equivalent Competency (CEC) before working as a deck or engine Officer on a UK registered vessel. For 2023 onwards, Certificates of Equivalent Competency (CEC) are also referred to as Flag state Endorsements (FSEs) to align with the terminology used in other maritime nations.

Certificated Officers for Yachts and Officers with endorsements for tug and inshore craft (TIC) are also included within Seafarer certification data.

In 2023, Small Vessel (SV) Engine certificates replaced Yacht and TIC Engine certificates. For 2023 onwards, legacy Yacht and TIC Engine certificates are included within SV Engine certificates in this release. SV Engine certificates cover those working on fishing vessels, yachts, tugs, workboats, standby, seismic survey, oceanographic research vessels and government patrol vessels. Therefore, SV Engine certificates are not comparable with TIC and Yacht Engine certificates in previous years.

The estimates in this section make no assumptions about whether seafarers holding certificates are active at sea.

As of June 2023, 41,930 seafarers held seafarer certificates issued by the MCA, including 24,730 Certificates of Competency (CoCs) and 10,210 Certificates of Equivalent Competency/Flag State Endorsements (CECs/FSEs). Of these certificates, 14,960 were held by UK nationals.

UK nationals made up 36% of certificates issued by the MCA. Non-UK nationals with CoCs made up 33% of certificates issued, and non-UK nationals with CEC/FSEs made up 24% of certificates issued. Non-UK nationals with Other certificates made up 7% of certificates issued (chart 3).

These figures relate to certificates issued, and some of those holding certificates will not be working at sea. It is likely that many UK nationals with CoCs and those holding CEC/FSEs will be working on UK flagged ships, or in the UK industry, however this is less likely for non-UK nationals who obtain CoCs in the UK.

Chart 3: Seafarer certificates issued by MCA held in June 2023 (SFR0203)

Officers by nationality, gender and age

There were 14,960 certificated officers from the UK in 2023.  The majority of UK nationals with certificates held CoCs (10,900), with 80 holding CEC/FSEs, and 3,980 holding other certificates including Yacht, TIC and SV certificates.

Of UK nationals with CoCs, the trends over time in the numbers holding deck and engine certificates have been similar, with generally slightly more deck Officers than engine Officers.

19,960 non-EEA (European Economic Area) officers held a certificate in 2023 compared to 7,010 EEA officers.

The EEA is comprised of the EU and Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein.

The vast majority (96%) of UK Officers with CoCs were male in 2023. This varied from 95% of deck Officers to 98% of engineering Officers. The proportions of deck and engineers that are male has remained the same as the previous year, however comparisons should be made with caution due to the change in MCA methodology.

In 2023, there were more UK nationals holding CoCs than non-UK nationals holding CEC/FSEs in age groups under 35 and over 60 years old. There were more non-UK nationals holding CEC/FSEs in age groups between 35 and 60 years old (chart 4). The lack of diversity in those considering maritime careers and UK personnel being drawn to more lucrative jobs were issues identified as contributing to a growing shortage of skilled individuals in areas such as engineering in the 2015 Maritime Growth Study.

Chart 4: Age distribution of UK Officers with CoCs and non-UK Officers with CEC/FSEs, 2023 (SFR0202)

Officer trainees

Cadets can take up to 4 years to complete their training. The training costs of eligible new entrants are supported by the Support for Maritime Training (SMarT) scheme. This scheme is a government funded scheme to increase the number of qualified seafarers in the UK maritime industry. Further information and eligibility requirements for the SMarT scheme can be found in Support for Maritime Training guidance.

There are different SMarT categories for different types of training. The figures shown here are for the category SMarT1 which covers initial training for cadets studying at junior officer level.

These figures are produced from monthly financial claims submitted to the MCA by training providers (sponsoring companies). Estimates of the total number of Cadets in training are calculated as an average of the number in training in each month of the financial year.

The number of Officer Cadets in training increased following the introduction of the SMarT scheme. This increased drastically as new entrants to the programme increased in the financial year ending 2006. The number of Cadets continued to increase until the reduction to SMarT funding, following which the number of new entrants decreased in financial year ending 2013. From then, the number of Cadets continuing in training has been decreasing while the number of SMarT1 entrants has remained stable until the decrease in the financial year ending 2021. SMarT1 entrants have failed to recover substantially in the financial years ending 2022 and 2023 due to the ongoing impacts of Covid (chart 5).

Chart 5: Officer trainees, financial year ending 1999 to financial year ending 2023 (SFR0206)

The estimated number of Officer Cadets in training for the financial year ending 2023 was 1,450. This is 8% below the previous financial year, where some Cadets might have been unable to complete their courses due to the ongoing impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2023, the number of new entrants under the SMarT1 scheme was 580 which is lower (-2%) than the previous financial year. This is also still 23% below the financial year ending 2020, so the number of UK cadets entering training remains lower than pre-pandemic levels. Additional data supplied by the MCA highlighted that 11% of new SMarT1 entrants in financial year ending 2023 were female, the same as in the previous year.

Section 3: Seafarers active at sea in the UK industry (CoS members)

In 2023, after adjusting for survey non-response, it is estimated that UK nationals accounted for 12% of the 148,700 seafarers active at sea working for companies within the membership of the UK Chamber of Shipping. Of these UK nationals, 84% were male and 48% were aged 40 to 61.

In 2023, the number of UK certificated Officers has decreased by 6% whereas the number of UK uncertificated Officers has increased by 5% compared to 2022.

CoS Seafarer Employment Survey

The figures in this section are based on the UK Chamber of Shipping Seafarer Employment Survey, an annual survey carried out since 2002, which asks about crew employed including details of age, gender and nationality.

The survey is essential for providing estimates of UK uncertificated Officers and Ratings active at sea. This data is unavailable from the MCA source which only provides information on certificates held by Officers.

The CoS data does not provide complete coverage of the UK shipping industry, and trends over time can be impacted by changes in membership or survey non-response. Since the 2020 report, an adjustment method was used to account for survey non-response. In 2023 the proportion of seafarers missing from the collection was improved with an adjustment made for 2% of seafarers. This compares to 2022 when adjustments in the data were made for around 7% of seafarers in the CoS membership.

In 2021, the coronavirus pandemic impacted the ability of several companies to provide a return, meaning a larger proportion (20%) of the data had to be imputed. There is therefore more uncertainty associated with 2021 estimates, and trends should be treated with caution, especially for Ratings. Pre-pandemic, imputation levels ranged between 0% and 10%.

The figures are still impacted by changes in the CoS membership. For example, if a large company decided to move its operations or crewing outside the UK, this could result in large fluctuations in the figures. However, the data provides the best available source for monitoring patterns and broad trends of employment in the UK shipping industry. The adjusted figures are presented in this section, as well as in the SFR03 series of tables. Details on the adjustment method can be found in the technical note.

Uncertificated Officers and Ratings

These Officers are mainly employed by the cruise and ferry industry where large scale changes can rapidly take place affecting employment patterns, causing these trends to be volatile. For example, the total number of Ratings in the catering, hotel or other sector has fluctuated in the last 5 years. This is largely due to new companies joining and leaving the UK Chamber of Shipping.

Currently, technical Officers are considered uncertificated, but some may be certificated. There are plans to separate these out in future releases.

UK uncertificated Officers and Ratings: trends by type

The figures in this section are based on data from the CoS survey after it has been adjusted for non-response from member companies. These adjusted figures provide a better representation of seafarer employment in the Chamber. For details on this methodology please refer to the technical note.

The number of UK uncertificated Officers in CoS companies is estimated to be 1,540 in 2023 accounting for around 9% of all UK seafarers active at sea. This proportion has been relatively stable since 2017 relative to all seafarers surveyed in those respective years.

Chart 6: UK uncertificated Officers active at sea by type, adjusted for survey non-response, 2013 to 2023 (SFR0301)

UK uncertificated Officers include those in technical roles and those in catering, hotel or other categories. Overall, there has been a declining trend in the number of seafarers in technical roles whereas the number of UK uncertificated Officers in catering, hotel or other has now recovered to the highest level since 2016 following a decline between 2018 and 2021 (chart 6).

There were an estimated 10,180 UK Ratings in 2023, accounting for 58% of UK seafarers active at sea in CoS companies in 2023. These figures have fluctuated around roughly 10,000 UK Ratings, with the exception of a 23% increase in 2018, explained by a large company moving their business to the UK in 2018 and the subsequent fall in 2019 by a different large company leaving the membership.

Chart 7: UK Ratings active at sea by type, adjusted for survey non-response, 2013 to 2023  (SFR0301)

The number of UK Ratings in engine and dual purpose roles, where a seafarer is qualified to work on either deck or engine, have remained broadly stable between 2015 and 2023. There has been a small increase in UK Ratings in deck roles between 2012 and 2020 with a large decrease (35%) in 2021. In 2022, the number of UK deck Ratings partly recovered from the decrease in 2021 before falling slightly again in 2023. The number of UK Ratings in catering, hotel or other roles has fluctuated, particularly since 2016 (chart 7).

Please note that there is more uncertainty associated with the estimate of ratings in 2021. Overall, the number of Ratings increased by 5% in 2023 compared to the previous year, returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Age and gender profiles of UK seafarers active at sea

In 2023, 48% of UK seafarers were aged 40 to 61. However, deck Ratings tended to be older on average than other seafarers with 63% of this group aged 40 to 61. In comparison, 46% of catering, hotel or other Ratings and 43% of uncertificated Officers were aged 40 to 61. While adjustments have been made for non-response, figures may fluctuate depending on CoS membership so trends should be interpreted with caution.

The majority of UK seafarers active at sea in 2023 were male (84%); of certificated Officers, 95% were male, while 65% of uncertificated Officers were male. Overall, 82% of Ratings were male. Men accounted for an estimated 97% of deck and 99% of engine Ratings, compared with 70% for the hotel, catering or other Ratings group (chart 8).

Chart 8: Gender distribution of UK seafarers active at sea (CoS members), 2023 (SFR0302)

Seafarers active at sea by nationality

Unknown seafarer nationality

Seafarer nationality was unknown for around 3% of the total recorded in the 2023 survey, with around 8% of uncertificated Officers not having nationality recorded, similar to last year.

In 2023, an estimated 12% of the seafarers active at sea with CoS member companies were UK nationals, with 9% of seafarers being from EEA countries.

An estimated 40% of certificated Officers were from the UK, with 34% from EEA countries. In comparison, 8% of Ratings were UK nationals and a further 85% of this group were from outside the EEA (chart 9).

Chart 9: Seafarers active at sea (CoS members) by type and nationality, 2023 (SFR0303)

Section 4: other information

This section briefly summarises data available on seafarers and trainees from other published sources, in areas where users of these statistics have expressed interest.

Maritime apprenticeships

Information on the number of apprenticeship starts, numbers and achievements is published by the Department for Education and Education and Skills Funding Agency as part of their further education data library or apprenticeships.  

Apprenticeships are jobs with structured training which give apprentices a foundation to their career. Information on apprenticeships in the maritime sector is available via the Maritime Skills Alliance.

Currently limited statistics are available, but the latest show that the number of able seafarer (deck) apprenticeships starts was:

• 60 starts in the financial year ending 2018

• 50 starts in the financial year ending 2019

• 60 starts in the financial year ending 2020

• 40 starts in the financial year ending 2021

• 50 starts in the financial year ending 2022

• 10 starts in the financial year ending 2023 (data for all years)

These figures provide an indication of the number of Ratings currently being trained via apprenticeships, but there are other apprenticeships related to maritime where statistics are not readily available.

Wider context

The figures in this publication do not attempt to count everyone who works in a seagoing capacity in the UK; the focus is on the ‘merchant navy’ for which seafarer certification is managed by the MCA. There are other groups that are outside the scope of this publication but may be considered to be in seafarer roles.

Those in the Royal Navy, which has a regular trained strength of around 40,000 based on Ministry of Defence statistics (however the Royal Fleet Auxiliary is included in the above estimates).

There were an estimated 10,356 UK fishermen in 2022 based on statistics compiled by the Marine Management Organisation.

Most UK nationals working as crew aboard yachts will not be in scope of the above statistics (though Officers with MCA certificates to work on yachts will be included).

Those working on smaller vessels, such as those in companies belonging to the Workboat Association, are unlikely to be covered though no estimate is available. Those working on workboats that require a certificate will be included in the MCA data.

The MCA has issued 3,600 Boatmaster licenses for work on inland waters and near coastal work over the 5 years to mid-2017.

Those working in roles on shore are also unlikely to be covered.

It is possible that seafarers can belong to more than one of these groups. Producing an overall estimate of all UK nationals working at sea from the available data is challenging.

Seafarers global supply

The seafarer workforce report 2021 from BIMCO and the International Chamber of Shipping provides an overview of the global supply and demand for seafarers in 2021.

Between 2015 and 2021, the supply of STCW certified seafarers available to the international trading world merchant fleet increased. The number of STCW certified Officers was estimated at 857,540 in 2021, a percentage increase of 10.8% from 2015. Meanwhile, the report estimated an 18.5% increase in the number of STCW certified Ratings during the same period.

In 2021, UK seafarers were estimated to account for 1.8% of the global seafarer supply. This is an increase compared to the previous 2015 report in which UK seafarers were estimated to account for 0.9% of global supply.

The UK was the tenth most mentioned seafarer country for future recruitment by shipping companies.

Rank	Seafarer supply country
1	Ukraine
2	Myanmar
3	Philippines
4	India
5	China
6	Romania
7	Greece
8	Indonesia
9	Croatia
10	United Kingdom

Further information

Data tables

This release is a summary of a larger set of data tables, charts and documentation on seafarer statistics available from the Department for Transport website.

Technical and background quality information

A technical note (data sources, methods, definitions and data issues) and background quality report (quality of statistical outputs) can be found on the guidance page.

About these statistics

This publication is a compendium of both accredited official statistics and official statistics in development. The type of statistics presented is detailed in the table below.

Name of category of statistics	Label	Description
SFR data tables as reported (SFR0101, SFR020X, SFR030X)	Accredited Official Statistics	These official statistics were independently reviewed by the Office for Statistics Regulation in February 2013. They comply with the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics and should be labelled ‘accredited official statistics’.
Adjusted SFR data tables (SFR0101 adjusted, SFR030X adjusted)	Official statistics in development	These statistics are released under the ‘official statistics in development’ label – formerly called experimental statistics. Official statistics in development are official statistics that are temporarily undergoing a development and are being tested with users, in line with the standards of trustworthiness, quality, and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics. In 2020, an adjustment method was developed to account for non-response in the Chamber of Shipping (CoS) survey. The adjustment method is outlined in Annex A of the 2021 seafarer report. In this publication, the adjusted figures are provided in SFR0101 and the SFR03 series of published tables as an extra tab so that users can see the adjusted figures against the reported figures. In future releases, the Department for Transport is proposing to only present the adjusted figures, as this is assessed to be a more robust picture of trends. We welcome your feedback on this approach, and whether this meets your needs. If you wish to provide feedback, please contact seafarer statistics.

More information about these statistics can be found on the guidance page.

Details of Ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release are published.

Next update

The next update in this annual series is provisionally scheduled for February 2025.

Instructions for printing and saving

Depending on which browser you use and the type of device you use (such as a mobile or laptop) these instructions may vary.

You will find your print and save options in your browser’s menu. You may also have other options available on your device. Tablets and mobile device instructions will be specific to the make and model of the device.

How to search

Select Ctrl and F on a Windows laptop or Command and F on a Mac.

This will open a search box in the top right-hand corner of the page. Type the word you are looking for in the search bar and press enter.

Your browser will highlight the word, usually in yellow, wherever it appears on the page. Press enter to move to the next place it appears.

Contact details  

Seafarer statistics

Email seafarer.stats@dft.gov.uk

Public enquiries 020 7944 4847

Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

To hear more about DfT statistical publications as they are released, follow us on X (formerly known as Twitter) at DfTstats.