Merchant Navy Day 2020

That this House recognises Merchant Navy Day 2020; honours the men and women who support UK supply lines, responsible for more than 90% of the UK’s imports, including almost half the food we eat, much of the fuel we use, and virtually all the products and goods we tend to take for granted; notes that in 2019 an estimated 22,440 UK seafarers were active at sea; highlights the merchant navy's longstanding and proud connection to island and coastal communities; notes that merchant navy sailors and officers play a vital role in our economy which has been amplified during the current crisis; further notes that the global economy and the financial recovery after the pandemic relies on maritime trade, for food, fuel, medicines and other essential goods; and calls on the government to do all it can to support seafarers who have had to face extended hardship this year separated from their families, and for the UK to lead the way in international cooperation for seafarer welfare.