Salute the heroes of Merchant Navy

Today (September 3) is Merchant Navy Day.

TheannualMerchantNavy Day service at the Merchant Navy Memorials, Tower Hill, and the annual national service for seafarers, administered bycharity Seafarers UK, at St Paul’s Cathedral in midOctober, are cancelled.

Early lockdown panic buying caused shortages.

Supermarkets and suppliers did their best to steady the shipandsoonmostofuscould again buy essential goods. One reason that was possible was the same reason it’s been possible for our having uninterrupted supplies of most things for most of our lives –

merchantshipsbringgoodsto ourports24hoursaday, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Some 95 per cent of UK tradebyvolume(75percentby value) comesandgoesbyship. Merchant seafarers are often unsung heroes in our nation’s story, their ships bringing energy supplies andgoodstoour islands whatever the weather or circumstances.

Over30,000merchantseamenlost their lives in the Second World War (a death rate higher proportionately than in any of our armed forces), merchant ships carrying the food, fuel, armaments and troops essential to victory around the globe.

The seven seas are an unforgiving environment and, while sailors sometimes enjoycalmseasandaprosperous voyage, heavy seas, storms, hurricanes and danger are ever present – over one hundred merchantseafarers died last year. Earlythisyearcruise ships were at the centre of another storm – covid-19.

Over fifty thousand other ships – bulk carriers, general cargo, specialist and container ships, tankers, ferries and trawlers – have, however, continued to ply the seas, wearing ourRedEnsignorBlueEnsign or flags of other seafaring nations.

Twentymillion containers are crossing the globe right now.

Of the world’s 1.6 million merchant seafarers some 300,000 are stuck at sea, unable to leave their ships, world travel restrictions having denied routine crew changes.

For many seafarers life is hell right now, without them your life might be hell too. Let’s salute merchant seafarers – our essential workers at sea.

Lieutenant Commander

Les Chapman (Senior warden, Honourable Company of Master

Mariners)