Today marks the start of Maritime Safety Week 2021, a week that gives the Marine industry an opportunity to focus on the steps we can collectively take to improve safety.

This week I am pleased to be able to join a roundtable on drowning prevention hosted by Minister Courts. Howard Flegg, one of MAIB’s inspectors, will join a webinar hosted by Tanker Shipping and Trade on mooring rope safety, where we’ll be sharing learning from our investigation into an accident on board the LNG Carrier Zarga. And later this week I’m also attending a special Port Skills and Safety Group meeting ,where I’ll be highlighting some lessons from recent marine accident investigations.

As our recent Annual Report highlights, the industry continues to face a number of persistent safety challenges. For MAIB there are three main areas of concern that we’ll be highlighting this week along with reiterating the important safety learning uncovered through our investigations. We’ll be discussing safety issues involving ultra large vessels and container ships; recreational craft and fishing vessel safety.

I welcome the efforts being made by all parts of the industry this week to raise safety awareness through a variety of engaging events and I look forward to participating in constructive discussions with many industry colleagues.

Read more about World Maritime Week from the Department for Transport and Maritime Minister Robert Courts.

Today marks the start of Maritime Safety Week 2021, a week that gives the Marine industry an opportunity to focus on the steps we can collectively take to improve safety.

This week I am pleased to be able to join a roundtable on drowning prevention hosted by Minister Courts. Howard Flegg, one of MAIB’s inspectors, will join a webinar hosted by Tanker Shipping and Trade on mooring rope safety, where we’ll be sharing learning from our investigation into an accident on board the LNG Carrier Zarga. And later this week I’m also attending a special Port Skills and Safety Group meeting ,where I’ll be highlighting some lessons from recent marine accident investigations.

As our recent Annual Report highlights, the industry continues to face a number of persistent safety challenges. For MAIB there are three main areas of concern that we’ll be highlighting this week along with reiterating the important safety learning uncovered through our investigations. We’ll be discussing safety issues involving ultra large vessels and container ships; recreational craft and fishing vessel safety.

I welcome the efforts being made by all parts of the industry this week to raise safety awareness through a variety of engaging events and I look forward to participating in constructive discussions with many industry colleagues.

Read more about World Maritime Week from the Department for Transport and Maritime Minister Robert Courts.

Minister Cleverly met Yousef Bataineh, Secretary-General of the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, to discuss regional issues, including the UK’s position on illegal Israeli settlements and a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. With the Syria conflict now in its 10th year, the Minister thanked Jordan for its generosity in hosting more than 600,000 Syrians who have fled the conflict.

The Minister visited a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) community centre in Amman to see how UK aid is helping Jordan to care for its refugee population. He also saw first-hand how UK support to the Jordanian National Aid Fund is helping vulnerable Jordanians whose lives have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The support goes to those who have lost jobs and livelihoods in the informal sector, and households where women are the sole income-generators.

Minister for the Middle East, James Cleverly, said:

On my first visit to the Hashemite Kingdom, I discovered how the UK-Jordan partnership is growing in strength during this landmark centenary year. We celebrated long-standing cooperation on defence, regional security, and economic stability, as we build back better from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UK is a committed partner, providing assistance to Jordan as it generously hosts refugees fleeing regional conflicts. I saw how the UK is helping to strengthen Jordan’s social protection system, ensuring those most affected by the pandemic can get back on their feet.

Ahead of the COP26 Summit in the UK later this year, the Minister met some of Jordan’s renewable energy sector investors and representatives of companies with a high energy use. The group discussed how Jordan can transition to renewable energy as its primary source of electricity, with the Minister pressing companies to participate in the ‘Race to Zero’ initiative.

Notes to Editors:

• UK has provided £25m to support the Jordanian National Aid Fund expansion programme providing cash transfers to 293,000 economically vulnerable Jordanian households.
• The UK’s pledge of at least £205 million to the Syrian crisis in 2021 will ensure the UK continues to support the most vulnerable in Jordan. The UK has contributed over £726m in bilateral development assistance to Jordan since 2012. This has supported economic development, access to quality education, social protection, humanitarian support and the stability of a key ally.
• As one of COVAX’s largest donors, the UK has committed £548 million to help supply more than a billion Covid-19 vaccine doses for up to 92 developing countries this year, including Jordan.