Maritime Coastguard Agency
Detail of outcome
Please see attached consultation outcome report.
Detail of feedback received
The MCA directly notified about fifty organisations of the consultation exercise, including fishing organisations, other commercial maritime organisations, seafarer unions, other government departments and agencies, charities and welfare organisations. Nine written responses were submitted to the public consultation from outside the MCA.
Further details are contained within the final outcome report attached.
Original consultation
Consultation description
We are consulting on the proposal to amend the merchant shipping (seamens documents) regulations 1987 so that work on a fishing vessel makes the applicant eligible for issue of a British Seamens Card. The purpose of this measure is to secure the right of fishers, as bona fide seafarers, to free transit of third countries to join and leave ships and for the shore leave required for their well-being.
The British Seamens Card is widely accepted internationally as a seafarer identity document.
The amended regulations would apply to eligible British fishermen.
Please see the attached documents
- consultation document
- consultation de minimis assessment (DMA)
- word document of consultation response form
Responses are welcomed from 10 October 2022 until 28 November 2022 and emailed to workinfishing.convention@mcga.gov.uk
