Red Ensign flies on Merchant Navy Day
The Red Ensign will fly over the headquarters of the Department for Transport today to mark the UK’s ninth Merchant Navy Day.
Shipping Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said:
“Shipping is vital to our nation – we rely on it for the majority of our foreign trade. Merchant Navy Day provides an opportunity both to honour the memory of the merchant seamen of the past and to look forward to a brighter future for British shipping and seafarers.
“Today, the British merchant fleet and our shipping industry is in better shape than it has been for many years, but we must not forget the sacrfices of the past. Merchant seamen kept us supplied during the two World Wars and more than 20,000 of them lost their lives during the Second World War alone.
“The Government is working hard to improve shipping and I’m proud of the increase that we have seen in the number of ships on the UK Ship Register and in UK tonnage, which has been achieved without compromising standards.”
In recent years Britain has brought in a tonnage tax to enable British shipping to be more internationally competitive as well as introducing customer-focused reforms at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and supporting the ‘Sea Vision UK’ campaign aimed at promoting the UK’s maritime sector to the public.
See also:
