United Kingdom Harbour Masters' Association, UKHMA
The Harbour Masters’ Association of the United Kingdom, The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man (UKHMA) was formed in May 1993 at an inaugural meeting held at the University of Wales in Cardiff. The Association consists of seven regional constituencies, including an active group in Scotland that includes both mainland and island Members.
The objectives of the UKHMA are to:
- Encourage the safe and efficient conduct of marine operations in ports
- Promote the interests and professional competence of harbour masters
- Represent by way of professional advice and support the views of harbour masters to governmental bodies, to organisations representative of port authorities and other persons within the United Kingdom and abroad concerned with marine operations, both within and near port waters.
Visit www.ukhma.org to find out more.
Latest News & Events
Seafarers UK is a charity that has been helping those in the maritime community for over 100 years, by providing vital support to seafarers in need and their families.
This aid has been achieved by grants to organisations and projects across the Merchant Navy, the Fishing Fleets, the Royal Navy and Royal Marines.
In 2019 Seafarers UK awarded 53 grants totalling £2.2m to 43 maritime welfare charities.
Emergency appeal
On 3 April Seafarers UK made an open appeal on the world wide web to draw attention to the unprecedented times when the effects of COVID-19 are being felt all over the world with the seafaring community being no exception.
As an island nation, the UK is particularly dependent on its seafarers to keep the UK supplied with food, medicine, fuel and other essential supplies. As such, the Government has acknowledged the importance of those who work in the supply chain during the COVID-19 pandemic and has officially designated seafarers as key workers.
As the world fights the Coronavirus pandemic seafarers are silently playing a vital role in keeping the nation afloat, under extremely challenging and unpredictable conditions.
On 2 April cruise ships Zaandam and Rotterdam disembarked more than 1,200 passengers in Port Everglades, Florida. These developments, combined with one remaining disembarkation being coordinated, represents the processing of more than 120 vessels in the last three weeks to remove 250,000 passengers from cruise ships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This was reported by USCG HQ Media service from Washington.
US Coast Guard, under guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and working with Department of Homeland Security partners Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), as well as state and local entities from multiple port jurisdictions, facilitated the safe landing, screening, quarantine and repatriation of these passengers in a manner that has prevented further spread of the COVID-19 virus. Many passengers were brought to safe harbour in the United States when international ports refused entry.
