Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2022 (revised)
UK seafarers statistics on active at sea and non-UK seafarers qualified to work on UK registered vessels in 2022.
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Revision note for 2022 figures
This statistical release has been revised to correct a processing error causing missing data for one company particularly affecting Ratings. As a result of this omission from the underlying data, the scale and scope of the adjustment methodology to correct for non-response to the UK Chamber of Shipping survey were also impacted. As such there have been some revisions to the current sections, such as the main points, Section 1, and Section 3 of the release due to this error. Whilst most of the revisions are small and have not affected the trends, the revisions for non-UK Ratings are substantial and have changed the originally stated trend.
These statistics show:
- there were an estimated 22,510 UK nationals active at sea in 2022, a slight (2%) increase compared to an estimated 21,970 in 2021
- around half of the total active seafarers were Officers (9,790 certificated and 1,460 uncertificated)
- that 43% of seafarers were Ratings, and there were 1,570 Officer Cadets in training during the financial year 2021 to 2022
- the majority of UK seafarers active at sea were male (89%), with most female seafarers working as Uncertificated Officers or as Ratings
To note for 2022 figures:
The measures put in place to limit the transmission of Coronavirus (COVID-19) were reduced in 2022 when the underlying data for these statistics were collected. However the impacts from the pandemic can still be seen in the seafarer figures covered in this release.
These annual statistics are compiled from certification data held by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, and data collected via the UK Chamber of Shipping Seafarer Employment Survey. Further details of the coverage of the statistics, uses and limitations can be found in the statistical release.
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Updates to this page
Last updated 10 May 2023 + show all updates
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Report has been revised due to a processing error.
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First published.