A maritime trade union has claimed offshore workers could help plug a gap in coastal security staffing after a report claimed the UK border force was ‘clearly under-resourced’.
Nautilus International, which looks after maritime professionals, said the UK Government should be looking at the thousands of North Sea oil and gas workers who had been hit with redundancy in the wake of the oil price decline.
It comes after a Home Affairs Select Committee report said Royal Navy vessels should be made available to help support the work of the UK Border Force.
Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson said: “It is high time that the government realised the impact of years of under-resourcing of the Royal Navy (RN) which is already over-stretched.
“Likewise, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA), who would have been perfectly placed to provide this type of support. The RN and RFA are reeling from more than ten years of cutbacks, lack of investment and the consequences of austerity.’
“Nautilus is calling on the government to look to the thousands of offshore workers who have been made redundant and the hundreds of supply boats which are without work because of the downturn in the oil price and the implications for investment and activity in the offshore sector.
“These vessels with their British seafarers could be immediately chartered by the government to strengthen our coastal security. Thereby boosting the Border Force in this time of need and giving valuable work to those who need it.”
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