News

Landmark agreement to boost seafarers’ welfare in Milford Haven ports

Published

5 years ago

May 19, 2021

A LANDMARK agreement has been signed to boost the welfare of seafarers and fishers around the UK, including those visiting ports such as Milford Haven and Pembroke Dock.

The welfare centre used by seafarers visiting Milford Haven closed in 2015, with the loss of eight jobs, severely restricting welfare to seafarers.

The trustees of the International Seafarers’ Centre, in Robert Street, said they took the difficult decision to close the centre, following a fall in users.

A charity jointly managed by the Sailors’ Society, the Apostleship of the Sea and the Mission to Seafarers, had many years provided welfare facilities for visiting seafarers.

After the centre’s closure, The Apostleship of the Sea continued to operate in Milford Haven with a minibus service collecting sailors from oil terminals and taking them to shops, entertainment venues and helping them with provisions where required.

Milford Haven Sea Farers’ Centre closed in 2015 following a ‘drop in footfall’

Since then, volunteers have been renovating the ground floor of the former Working Men’s Club on Victoria Road, Milford Haven with the majority of the works now being completed for use as a seafarer’s centre.

Now, six years after the closure of the dedicated centre, a formal agreement has finally been reached between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Merchant Navy Welfare Board (MNWB) which sets out ways both will work together to coordinate their approach to the provision of welfare.

The Memorandum of Understanding, The Herald understands, sets out the specific responsibilities of the two organisations, as well as committing to sharing information about matters affecting seafarers’ and fishers’ welfare, seeking advice and consulting on other issues.

The MoU formally designates the MNWB as the UK’s National Seafarers’ Welfare Board in accordance with ILO Maritime Labour Convention, 2006. The MNWB is the umbrella charity for the UK Merchant Navy & Fishing Fleets, with 45 Constituent member organisations providing welfare support to serving and retired UK seafarers, and their families.

The former Milford Haven Working Men’s Club on Victoria Road has been renovated to be put back into community use including as a centre of seafarers (Pic Herald)

Robert Courts, Maritime Minister, told this newspaper: “The MCA and the Merchant Navy Welfare Board have been doing a fantastic job of supporting seafarers during the pandemic. Signing a formal agreement reinforces our commitment to put welfare at the heart of the maritime industry both domestically and internationally, giving seafarers that extra assurance as we rebuild the sector and look to the future.”

Capt. Mark Andrews, of the UK Harbour Masters Association and Chair of Milford Haven MNWB Port Welfare Committee, added: “Given that 90% of everything we use in the UK comes by sea, it is pretty obvious that seafarers and fishers are key workers and their health and wellbeing are important to us all. The ongoing pandemic has been particularly difficult for seafarers, often far from home for many months, who have endured more restrictions than normal. Despite this, the committee has continued to meet to review, support and help improve the welfare of seafarers and fishers locally.”

Julie Carlton, Head of Seafarer Safety and Health at the MCA’s UK Maritime Services, told The Pembrokeshire Herald: “This is an important step in ensuring we continue to work closely together, making the best use of the expertise and capabilities of each organisation. It will also help ensure seafarers’ and fishers’ welfare continues to be supported in our ports and through other services.”

Capt. Andrew Cassels, MNWB Chairman, said: “We are delighted that the MCA has formally recognised the ongoing, collaborative work of the Board by formally designating the MNWB as the UK’s National Seafarers’ Welfare Board. In particular, the agreement recognises the important contributions made by our many Constituent member organisations and voluntary Port Welfare Committees.”

In recognition of an already strong relationship, the MCA and the MNWB have been working together on welfare matters for years. This formal agreement demonstrates the UK government’s ongoing commitment to seafarers’ and fishers’ welfare and has most recently included support to get crews home during the pandemic.

The potential of a working partnership with the MNWB has already been seen – alongside The Seafarers’ Charity – with the provision of free mobile WiFi units for those seafarers stuck on ships during the pandemic, so they could stay in touch with friends and family. The government initiative showed how a partnership can be to the benefit of all seafarers.

As part of this relationship, the MCA will nominate a senior member of staff for appointment to the MNWB’s Council of Management, and representatives to attend Port Welfare Committees, Forums and Working Groups.

The Memorandum of Understanding sets out the following in terms of the joint approach:

Ensure an integrated approach to the provision of welfare to seafarers and fishers.
Provide the most effective use of resources and expertise to ensure compliance with seafarers’ and fishers’ welfare provisions of the ILO Maritime Labour Convention 2006 and ILO C188 Work in Fishing Convention.
Promote collaboration of UK seafarers’ and fishers’ welfare at national, regional and local levels to ensure that effective procedures are in place and implemented.
Review existing welfare facilities in ports to ensure the correct provision in the right places.
Promote awareness of each organisation’s role in the provision of welfare to seafarers and fishers to improve collaboration and communication where necessary.
Help to ensure that no seafarer or fisher is left without welfare support in the context of the responsibilities of the UK Government as set out in ILO MLC, 2006 and C188.
Promote cooperation with other Member States of the ILO to promote the welfare of seafarers and fishers at sea and in port.

News

Parties make final push as Wales prepares to vote in historic Senedd election

Published

18 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Campaign leaders criss-cross country in last-minute battle for crucial votes

WALES heads to the polls tomorrow (Thursday, May 7) after a frenetic final day of campaigning that saw party leaders, candidates and activists make one last push to win over undecided voters in what is being described as the most unpredictable Senedd election in modern Welsh history.

With polling stations due to open at 7:00am, parties spent Wednesday targeting key battleground constituencies across the country, including the new Ceredigion Penfro seat, amid growing expectations of a fragmented Senedd and a dramatic shake-up in Welsh politics.

The election is the first to be held under Wales’ new expanded Senedd system, with 96 Members of the Senedd being elected across 16 large constituencies using a proportional closed-list voting system.

Reform UK appeared to finish the campaign with significant momentum following a major rally on Tuesday attended by party leader Nigel Farage. The event drew large crowds and considerable online attention as Reform attempted to convert strong polling figures into seats in Cardiff Bay for the first time.

Farage used the rally to attack both Labour and Plaid Cymru, while positioning Reform as the party of “change” for disillusioned voters. Reform campaigners have focused heavily on immigration, cost of living pressures and opposition to what they describe as “wasteful government spending.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth spent the final day presenting his party as the main alternative to both Labour and Reform UK, insisting Plaid could “build a fairer Wales” while warning against what he described as “divisive politics.”

Labour figures, including First Minister Eluned Morgan and deputy leader Huw Irranca-Davies, urged voters not to “take risks” with public services, arguing only Welsh Labour could protect the NHS and local councils during a period of economic uncertainty.

Labour activists were heavily focused on turnout operations in traditional strongholds, amid polling suggesting the party could lose ground after decades as the dominant force in Welsh politics.

The Conservatives attempted to rally core voters with warnings about both Labour and Reform, while also focusing on farming, the rural economy and healthcare waiting lists.

In west Wales, Conservative candidates Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz spent the day meeting voters and carrying out final campaign visits across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, arguing their experience and local knowledge would be important under the new electoral system.

The Liberal Democrats and Green Party also maintained visible campaigns in several areas, hoping tactical voting and the proportional voting system could help them secure representation.

Across Wales, campaign teams handed out leaflets outside transport hubs, supermarkets and town centres, while social media campaigning intensified throughout the day.

Political analysts believe turnout could prove decisive, particularly because the new voting system means relatively small shifts in support could determine the allocation of the fifth and sixth seats in many constituencies.

The campaign has been dominated by debates over the NHS, farming, the economy, transport, tourism and the rising cost of living, alongside concerns about the future direction of Welsh devolution.

Polling stations open across Wales from 7:00am until 10:00pm on Thursday, with counting due to begin on Friday morning.

The Herald will provide live election coverage online throughout polling day and count day, including updates from count centres, candidate interviews and reaction as results emerge from across west Wales and the rest of the country.

News

Plaid Cymru projected to lead Senedd as Labour faces historic collapse

Published

18 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Final poll suggests Welsh politics could be on the brink of a major realignment

PLAID CYMRU is on course to become the largest party in the Senedd, according to the final YouGov MRP projection for ITV Cymru Wales before polling day.

The model suggests Labour’s century-long dominance of Welsh elections could be coming to an end, with Plaid projected to win 43 seats in the newly expanded 96-member Senedd.

Reform UK is forecast to finish second on 34 seats, while Labour is projected to fall to just 12.

The poll, based on responses from more than 4,600 adults between April 25 and May 4, puts Plaid Cymru on 33% of the vote, ahead of Reform UK on 29%. Labour is on 12%, the Conservatives on 9%, the Greens on 8% and the Liberal Democrats on 6%.

Labour facing major losses

The projection points to a dramatic collapse in Labour support across Wales.

YouGov’s central estimate would represent a notional loss of 32 seats for Labour compared with the 2021 result under the new electoral system.

It would also be Labour’s worst result at any major Welsh election since 1906.

The model suggests Labour may fail to top the poll in any of the 16 new Senedd constituencies, and could return no members at all in four of them.

In west Wales, Labour’s support is projected to have fallen into single figures in some areas.

First Minister Eluned Morgan, who leads Labour’s list in Ceredigion Penfro, could also be at risk if the projection proves accurate.

Reform surge

Reform UK is projected to make major gains, rising from just 1% of the vote in 2021 to 29% in the final pre-election model.

The party’s support appears to be spread widely across Wales, though it is weaker in Cardiff and strongest in parts of the south Wales valleys.

One of the most striking projections is in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, which includes the Merthyr Tydfil area where Keir Hardie was elected as Wales’s first Labour MP in 1900.

There, YouGov’s central estimate puts Reform UK narrowly ahead on 34%, Plaid Cymru on 33%, and Labour on 14%.

Smaller parties

The Conservatives are projected to win just four seats, which would be their weakest devolved election result.

That would leave them one short of the five members needed to form an official political group in the Senedd.

The Greens are forecast to enter the Senedd for the first time, winning two seats in Cardiff.

The Liberal Democrats are projected to win one seat in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, keeping Jane Dodds in the Senedd.

No majority expected

No party is projected to win the 49 seats needed for an outright majority.

YouGov’s modelling suggests Plaid Cymru would be best placed to lead the next Welsh Government, but would probably need support from another party.

Plaid and Labour together reach a majority in most of the model’s simulations, while a Plaid-Green arrangement does so far less often.

A Reform-Conservative majority appears unlikely in the projection.

Under the new D’Hondt voting system, small movements in vote share could still make a significant difference, particularly for the final seats in each constituency.

Polling stations open tomorrow, Thursday, May 7.