New figures released by the UK government show that the number of UK seafarers who are active at sea, and non-UK seafarers qualified to work on UK-registered vessels, declined by a further 2% in 2024.
The number of UK seafarers remained broadly stable between 2012 and 2020, but numbers decreased during the Covid-19 pandemic. By 2023, this had risen again but remained 2% below pre-pandemic levels.
There were an estimated 23,700 UK seafarers active at sea in 2024, 52% of whom were officers (10,620 certificated and 1,700 uncertificated).
In addition, there were 1,500 officer cadets in training during the financial year ending 2024 – an increase of 50 cadets from 2023.
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