The Demise of our Merchant Navy - A naval officer speaks out
BRITAIN’S Merchant Navy has a proud history from the days of armed merchantmen to the invaluable support they provided in the wars of the last century.
Britain used to have one of the greatest merchant fleets in the world, with vessels plying their trade all over the globe. Sadly this is no longer the case because new international laws have changed the Merchant Navy beyond recognition.
Successive British governments have accepted these laws with no regard for the consequences to British jobs in the industry and the reduced merchant tonnage now operating with British crews.
It is the International Maritime Organisation which is behind the changes, introducing new legislation which favours Third World tonnage and seafarers.
Initially, training and certification was governed by the Standards of Training and Certification of Watch Keepers which came into force in 1978. This laid down the minimum qualifications required for the certification of marine professionals. These rules served our fleet well and allowed the certification of officers and men in accordance with our trade requirements.
The British fleet had three areas of operation, namely Home Trade (coastal areas including the Irish Sea, North Sea and local trading areas), Middle Trade which covered to the Mediterranean and Black Sea and Foreign Going.
Under the regulations it was possible for people to train and obtain qualifications which would allow them to sail in their relevant level in whichever area of operation they chose. But then the International Maritime Organisation decreed that revisions were needed to harmonise the certificate structures worldwide.
The tonnage limit of coastal vessels was reduced from the original 5000 and 1500 limits to a paltry 500, which has no practical use at all. The limited European Trading Area was revised to Near Coastal which limits people qualified in this area to 150 nautical miles off the UK coast and 30 nautical miles off Eire, where previously it allowed people to navigate vessels across the whole North Sea.
The changes have led to a shortage of qualified personnel and this gap is now being filled by mariners from Third World countries. They benefit from lower costs, reduced college fees and adaptations to the current legislation which favour their naval organisations. These people often have limited English which presents a danger in itself.
Our Merchant fleet is coming to the end of its days because the Government is not standing up and defending the industry.
In the not too distant future, all seafarer, shore-based ship pilot and associated jobs will be filled by foreigners, and one of Britain’s great institutions and the skills that go with it will have been lost forever.
This report appears in the June issue of the British National Party’s monthly newspaper, Freedom.
You can take out an annual subscription to Freedom here.
Share this page:
Another example of the deliberate destruction of Britain’s capacity to control its own essential economic facilities itself without being dependent on foreigners.
A related topic, the demise of the Royal Navy post WW I and Churchill’s part in it, is documented in Churchill, Hitler and the Unnecessary War: How Britain Lost Its Empire and the West Lost the World .
I am not totally convinced by your argument as to the demise of the British Mercantile Marine.
In the 1970s I qualified as a merchant navy officer. It was a desperate time of near collapse. Texaco laid off all their cadets, shell off-shored their recruitment, Ben Line, Blue Funnel and others started their slide into oblivion.
Ben Line still have an office in Edinburgh as a travel agents. The Ben Line group now have headquarters in Thailand and they no longer act as shipowners.
This potted history could be expanded to include all the great shipping lines e.g. Cunard now owned by Carnival cruise lines of the USA.
This slide started before 1978 and certainly much earlier than any subsequent amendment by IMO.
It seems like the country has lost its soul. No industry no pride no identity just a relentless slide into obscurity and mediocrity. What will we become when our much vaunted financial services industry relocates to the far east?
Whether the decline started with the IMO in 1978 or before then as ciobair says it is nevertheless tragic that a great British tradition seems to be in terminal decline. These skills are irreplaceable once lost & something must be done to make sure our young folk continue to learn the maritime skills of their forebears. Only in a EU-free UK will we be properly able to chart the destination & fate of our country.
What else can we expect when in Parliament we have the Liblabcon Artists.
“Full of sound and fury signifying nothing” Thanks Will S!
Please make a positive BNP point voters of Henley.
Your Country needs YOU
As a former trawlerman and merchant seaman, I knew years ago that our merchant navy was doomed. It didn’t take much of a genius to figure out that the massive shipbuilding industry on such places as Tyne, Mersey, Clyde, Belfast, etc., were deliberately being eroded with the ultimate aim being to completely disable our maritime capabilities. Well, they have already achieved this act of treachery and, to my absolute disgust, back in the 70s when Anthony Crossland was MP for my home port of Grimsby, the whole deep-sea fishing industry was allowed to totally disappear. Seafood lovers may remember when a really delicious fish supper cost the equivalent of ten pence. No, I am not joking: in Grimsby, back in the 70s, a haddock fillet and a portion of chips would cost about ONE SHILLING AND SIX PENCE.
We all know now why our government wanted to change to this Euro con., as EVERYTHING rocketed skywards and the great ripoff of the gullible British public began. Hopefully the public are now becoming aware of the absolute betrayal of which this government are guilty. Their words no longer have the ring of truth that we expected from them. People are now reading between the lines of every word that issues from their lying lips. Their past lies and outright dishonesty are now being made public knowledge, and they really are squirming with the embarrassment of it all. Great news for all honest Brits, but a disaster for parasites.
__________
They’re squirming all right, but I would opine that it is not with embarrassment, but rather with discomfort at having been caught out and having to face up to the prospect of losing their gravy train. This lot haven’t got a shred of ability to be honestly embarrassed at what they’ve done!–Ed.
I joined the merchant navy in 1979 and trained at Gravesend sea training school. I then went to work for BP (crew member) sailing on super tankers deep sea. By 1981 we had all been made redundant as BP were then using Indian crews because they were obviously cheaper - that is what has killed our merchant fleet, these large multi-billion pound companies trying to squeeze even more money into their coffers. This was the beginning of a move away from British shores of our labour. It carries on today with call centres being the latest unpopular move. When a major company turns its back on Britain, then we should do the same to these companies and stop using them.